Imhotep's Obsession
by Darlene Evelyn
Summary: 1926, a year after the first adventure. An unexpected person from Rick's past emerges from the ashes, Jonathan pulled in, and with it all the return of Imhotep, bringer of death. When the past and present collide....what hope is there for the future?
1. Unexpected Starts

Title: Imhotep's Obsession (Chapters 1,2, and 3)  
  
Author: Darlene Evelyn  
  
Rating: PG. I know I put 'R' but that's for the future. (PG for now)  
  
Feedback: Please let me know what you think but please don't be rude.  
  
Copyright: All Characters from both TM and TMR except for the new ones of course, which are mine are sole property of Universal Pictures. No profit is being made with this story.  
  
Imhotep's Obsession  
  
Prologue  
  
*~~~London, England 1926~~~*  
  
Life has more imagination than we carry in our own dreams. Rick, Evelyn and Jonathan can tell you that for sure. A year after the big adventure in Hamunaptra, Rick had proposed to Evelyn, but she refused...the reason being: they needed a bit more time to get to know each other and she needed to get back to her studies of Egypt and it's great mysteries. Rick was not too okay with that plan, but still he accepted her answer and so they moved back to London to start a new life along with Jonathan and their treasure. When they had found the treasure on the camels they went ecstatic....especially Jonathan who had been complaining the entire way to Cairo. They split it up equally and overall they had all been very happy. Well, Evelyn was now the curator at the London Museum of Antiquities, which she loved very much. Rick hadn't change in the least bit and was now happily working by Evie's side at the museum and Jonathan, well, lets just say he was still the same nice, drunken guy that he use to be. But nonetheless the three were happy living together in a big, two story house with five rooms, not to mention they had two cars. Yes, life was back to normal now...or was it?...let's find out.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
*~~~London Museum of Antiquities~~~*  
  
"I can't believe it! Do you expect me to believe that you lost all the money from selling your part of Seti's treasure...in a game of poker!!" Evie shouted angrily  
  
"Oh mum, don't remind me it's hard enough that I won't be able to have a decent drink for a few months" Jonathan replied guiltily  
  
"Evelyn, calm down the upside to this is that Johnny here will be sober for a while" Rick said with a wide smile of utter jokester.  
  
"O shut up O'Connell!" Jonathan snapped back angrily  
  
"Jonathan!! Watch your manners! don't you ever yell at Rick or anyone else like that for that matter you should be grateful that you won't have a drink! Now you won't be so bloody drunk everyday!! as for the treasure.. we can't do anything about it now..oh god! " Evelyn said stressfully as she sat down at her desk.  
  
Without another word Jonathan stormed out of the office and left to go find a lad who could spare a drink or two. Rick suddenly sat down and put his hands on his face trying to conceal the sadness that had just overcome him. Evelyn turned towards him and at the sight of seeing him there almost about to tear his hair out, she sighed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Evelyn asked softly "Was it something we said?"  
  
"No...Today is my sister's birthday, if she's alive she'll be twenty one" Rick said sadly  
  
"Oh Rick, don't worry we'll find her and I bet you wherever she is she misses you just as much as you miss her" Evelyn said as she sat down next to him.  
  
"I hope so Evelyn, I hope so" Rick sighed as he stood up  
  
"I have a feeling we'll be seeing her again soon enough" she said happily  
  
There was suddenly a loud knock on the door and before Evie could answer in came David Richardson, a worker from the museum, a sly, greedy person that really can't be trusted at all. All he loves is money, fame and women. Very power hungry. He'll do anything to get what he wants. With people like that around you, you have to be extremely careful what you say and Evelyn knew all too well not to say anything obvious.  
  
"Good news Evelyn! the workers down in Cairo have found Hamunaptra! , well actually the ruins, but still, that plan to search for it worked!" he said excitedly  
  
"Have they found anything?" Evelyn asked worryingly  
  
"Yes, in fact they found a book and star shaped thing, but they still don't know what it's for...I wonder what they could be? Perhaps they'll lead us to the location of treasure what do you think, Evelyn?" David said suspiciously  
  
"Oh my!!!"  
  
Evelyn's heart froze and she was left speechless, she tried really hard not to faint. The year had gone so well, and life was great without any troubles and now she couldn't believe this was happening. David looked over at Rick who was also in a state of shock, yet wasn't showing it as much as Evie was. David thought for a while about what the workers had told him and he remembered what the thing was. He wanted to get as much information as possible out of Evelyn, but with Rick there he couldn't. So he decided for honesty as the best policy.  
  
"The Book of the Dead I think is what they found but they are still looking for the famed Book of Amun-Ra...I wonder if it exists?" David said suddenly remembering what it was the workers had found...he was now getting really happy with this thought.  
  
"No, get them out of there as soon as you can" Rick said nervously  
  
"But Why?" David asked  
  
"Just do it" Evelyn said sternly  
  
David walked out of the office slamming the door behind him as he left. Rick walked over to the window overlooking the sculpture garden and just stared blankly outside. Everything was happening at the same time and all too fast for him. He couldn't stand it anymore...no matter how strong he was... the thought of Imhotep coming back made him tremble and feel chills every where. In the meantime, Evelyn had slipped out of the office to get some tea and do some errands.  
  
"What if my sister really is alive? Where could she be? and What's going to happen now?" Rick thought to himself.  
  
Suddenly he heard a loud clap of thunder and in the horizon he could see the hazy mist of rain. The clouds were rolling in slowly and sure enough it would start to pour any minute. The sound of thunder still made him jump, it was just a fear he had developed over the year. From the outside you could say that Rick had absolutely no weaknesses, but he did, he really did... the love he had for Evelyn and his sister....was his greatest weakness. This was something the rest of the world was not to know about at all. He closed his eyes and listened to the pitter patter of the rain on the windows... but quickly opened them as the rumble of the thunder roared all around and the lightning flashed brightly in the sky.  
  
Bam!! David slammed the door hard behind him as he stormed into his office like a bull on a rampage.  
  
"There is absolutely no way I'm turning back now that we have found the book and Hamunaptra! I will be famous...no matter what!"  
  
He paced back and forth thinking about his next move. After about ten minutes he finally came up with an idea. Smiling and wanting to jump up and down and shout at the top of his lungs he instead thought to himself.  
  
"I'm just simply leaving for Egypt the day after tomorrow, but before I do I'll tell Evelyn I called them to let them know, she'll never know that those idiots are still working their asses off for me!"  
  
He laughed and sat down at his desk to enjoy a cigar and to contemplate his new, and brilliant idea. The weather had gotten worse by the in these past few minutes but nonetheless.... He would be rich...and nothing was going to get in his way...nothing at all.  
  
*~~~In Downtown London~~~*  
  
Evelyn stopped at the local cafe and bought some tea and cookies for the afternoon. Afterwards she had driven the Dusenberg by the detective's office to check up on her results of finding Rick's sister. The detective was sitting at her desk reading the newspaper when Evelyn walked in. As soon as Rick had told her about Angela and his past, Evelyn had hired her to search for the lost girl.  
  
"Hello Miss Carnarvon" said the detective  
  
"Hello Mrs. Cunningham, do you have any other results from the search?"  
  
"No unfortunately all I have found is that she had lived in Chicago until she was seven then her parents sent her to a Boarding School here in London" said the detective sternly.  
  
"Anything else?" Evelyn anxiously asked  
  
"She escaped from the St. Mary's Boarding School seven years ago and hasn't been seen since, that is all of the information I have so far" she replied  
  
"Thank you very much detective, keep me informed on the latest news" Evelyn said as she stood up and shook the detective's hand. "Good bye"  
  
Evelyn then walked out of the office and drove home to clear up her mind, she needed a good rest from all this commotion. Though, her mind now couldn't stop thinking about the plagues, Imhotep and Hamunaptra. Everything from the year before seemed to be resurfacing in her conscience as if it had happened only yesterday. When she got home Jonathan was in the library reading and Rick had just arrived from the museum. Evelyn walked into the library trying not to show her fear, that same horrid fear that had literally consumed her when she had been on the sacrificial alter about to be killed in order to resurrect another. Overall she tried to pay attention and focus her mind on the paintings and the photos of her parents...Now the house was beautifully decorated with things that had belonged to Evelyn's parents, that they had gotten from their digs down in Egypt...it was like a museum of its own.  
  
"So Rick tells me that some people found Hamunaptra and the bloody Book of the Dead" Jonathan said nervously  
  
Evelyn sighed and replied "Yes Jonathan some workers have found the Book of the Dead and Hamunaptra....now we have to-"  
  
"Go back to Egypt" Rick interrupted suddenly  
  
"What!" Jonathan shouted. "No, no, no way I'm not going back to that messed up country!...there is just absolutely no possible way I'm going"  
  
"We might find treasure, Johnny...lot's and lot's of treasure...or don't you remember the enormous room full of gold back at Hamunaptra...maybe this time we'll get twice as much as we did last time" Rick said slyly  
  
"Okay count me in! but if something happens I'm coming straight home...nothing is going to stop me...absolutely nothing!!" Jonathan said earnestly  
  
"Sure Jonathan.. we believe you" Rick said  
  
While this was happening Evelyn had called the airport to reserve tickets. All of them then walked upstairs and started packing for their trip to Cairo unaware of what was already going to happen. Two hours later they got into the Dusenberg and left for the airport.  
  
*~~~Back at David's Apartment~~~*  
  
David was looking out his window overlooking the many buildings of London which were wet from the rain. The rain had been on and off for an hour and a half already, but it was actually starting to clear up and become sunny...that's London weather for you.  
  
"I'm going to Cairo and I will declare that I, David Richardson, have found the Book of the Dead and the ruins of Hamunaptra...I'll be famous!" he shouted joyfully. "That will be my grand moment!"  
  
There was suddenly a knock at the door and in walked a small boy about age twelve or so scrawny looking and dirty...your typical poor child from the slums of England.. sad but money is a necessity to the poor. People will take advantage of them so they do their dirty work.. such as spying in this case.  
  
"Excuse me sir, but I have just found out that Mr. O'Connell, Miss Carnarvon and Mr. Carnarvon have just purchased some tickets for Cairo today...the plane leaves in one hour"  
  
"What!! It can't be! ok.... I'll just have to go with them now won't I, now leave me!!!" he said shouted sternly  
  
The boy ran out of the room in a flash. David stopped for a moment and looked around at his tiny apartment in disgust he hated it...with all his heart.  
  
"I will be famous and I'll finally be able to get out of this hellhole for an apartment!"  
  
He quickly stuffed some clothes in a suitcase and set out for the airport just outside the city of London. On his way there he smiled to himself thinking about one of the workers in particular ....a girl who he had become fascinated with when he had first seen her. Her beauty was unlike any other, he knew he would see her again, but his thoughts now switched and the rest of way they were:  
  
"Fame, money and more fame" then he would set his sights on Angela, the girl he had hired to go on the dig down in Hamunaptra. While everyone was busy getting ready to go to Egypt, thousands of miles away something else was getting ready to make a come back too....a very big come back.  
  
"I can't believe we're going back" Jonathan said nervously as they drove to the airport in the Dusenburg. "I have a bad feeling about this trip"  
  
"Oh Jonathan please we're worried enough...we don't need your comments to worry us even more." Evelyn said uneasily.  
  
"Jonathan, nothing is going to happen so don't be such a wimp....and if something does happen well then uh, I'll give you four hundred dollars" Rick said calmly  
  
"Okay fine it's a deal if nothing happens we're good, something happens I get the money, that is if you don't get killed" Jonathan said seriously  
  
"Would you two please leave money out this...partly that's the reason of last years frightful happenings, so be quiet!" Evelyn interrupted and said angrily.  
  
"But mum! We're making a deal here!" Jonathan whined  
  
"No buts, let's try to have a fairly normal trip without any trouble...now please you two no more talk about money ...it always lead to trouble and even worse...death" Evelyn said.  
  
Rick said "Oh all right, but I still say nothing is going to happen"  
  
Jonathan shook his head and didn't say anything else, so Evelyn wouldn't get mad at him or Rick. They continued on their way to the airport in silence and David was on the way there coming from the opposite end of town as well. He needed to get on the same plane they did, he needed to know what they were going for...it was something big he knew that much...but what was it? As the sands of the Sahara, not far from the ruins of Hamunaptra stirred, they were all much too late.....and Death was only the beginning.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
*~~~Near Hamunaptra~~~*  
  
"I can't believe it!" the girl said happily  
  
Lewis rushed over to her and kneeled down beside her to take a look at what ever had mad her react the way she did.  
  
"What is it this time Angela? another worthless trinket like the many others that you've found so far" he said arrogantly  
  
Following her to Egypt was not what he expected it to be, well how did he expect to be when his fiancee was Angela O'Connell. He never quite understood why she loved to get her hands dirty while the other girls her age were busy primping themselves up and going to grand balls. But he had to be by her side and never let her go...she was his ticket to wealth and power.  
  
Angela had found a gold necklace in the form of a winged Isis and on the back it had sacred writing. Lewis really didn't care what it said, but she did. Angela had studied and knew how to speak and write Ancient Egyptian and Hieratic. As she read the necklace's inscription she remembered hearing the stories that the Bedouin people had told the group of workers. Something about a damned one that was buried alive and cursed with something called the Hom Dai. The necklace read: "The wearer of this shall be able to command and control the undead one if he is ever awaken, if it falls into his hands the world shall experience chaos" Angela felt a chill go down her back and decided not to tell Lewis or anyone else for that matter...this was hers.  
  
"Well what is it?" Lewis asked  
  
"It's uh, uh it's a necklace that belonged to some uh, princess, I'm not sure who" Angela replied "I'll have to research it a bit more"  
  
Lewis quickly stood up and brushed himself off and taking a good look at the necklace he said "Then It must be worth a few thousand dollars, why don't you give it to me and I'll go show the others"  
  
"No Lewis I'm keeping it, I don't want it to fall into the wrong hands" Angela replied coldly  
  
"But I-"  
  
"No Lewis I'm not giving it to you, after all didn't you just say it was just another one of those worthless trinkets I always find?...oh look over there!!!" she said. Lewis turned in the direction she had pointed to and she slipped it into her sack.  
  
"Hey there's nothing there" Lewis said as he turned around  
  
"Oh! well I thought I saw something over there...I guess it was just my mind playing tricks on me or something the heat is horrid, I guess it was a mirage". Angela said sprightly  
  
Little did they know that were being watched by the Med Jai, the descendants of pharaoh's bodyguards, who were mounted on their horses high up on a ridge overlooking the desert. They had been up there for quite awhile watching the group of workers dig and walk here and fro.  
  
"It appears that we have visitors once again" Ardeth Bay said in Arabic  
  
"They shall awaken Imhotep once again if we don't stop them...we have to kill them" another Med Jai said  
  
"We shall have to watch them more closely" Ardeth replied sternly  
  
"Let us hope they don't awaken him" were Ardeth's last words before he turned and galloped away signaling the others to follow.  
  
Down below a couple miles away Angela was packing up so she could go back to Cairo to get supplies. The caravan was not done excavating but they had found a lot of artifacts that would get them good pay, she would be back but for the moment she was the only one leaving in the morning. The sun was just setting and the workers were sitting around their campfires talking about their findings and how the next week was the last before they went back to London. Well, some were leaving others weren't.  
  
"Oh thank god, finally I'm done packing and tomorrow I'm going back to Cairo, back to civilization". Angela said as she zipped up her sack of clothes and tools.  
  
"I'm going with you sweetheart" Lewis said "Just to keep you safe"  
  
Angela rolled her eyes and said "But Lewis I'm just going to get some supplies back in Cairo and getting my clothes washed up, then I'll come right back...I promise"  
  
"No matter I'll go with you, so nothing will happen to you" he smiled innocently  
  
She walked out of the tent and over to her horse and loaded it onto it. After she had secured it on she walked back over to the tent where she pushed Lewis out and closed it. The entire day she had been digging and she was just totally burnt out. So the next thing she did was fall asleep. An hour went by and everyone had turned in for the night though early, but it had been a long day. This night though, was one filled with mystery and fantasy. For as Angela slept a shadow slowly crept into her tent and slowly seeped into her mind filling it with images of unknown places and people that she had never seen palaces and great halls full of elaborate designs. In the back of her mind she could hear a deep haunting whisper speaking to her in Ancient Egyptian. "Come to me, come to me my princess.. set me free and the world shall be ours"  
  
Angela stirred and turned over ...she loved the sound of that voice, but didn't know what was really going on. "Read from the book, the incantation is the only thing that will set me free from this torment, read it and we shall be together forever"  
  
Slowly Angela sat up and crawled out of her tent and walked over to a crate where the book and key were located at. She pulled it out and walked over to campfire where she sat down and placed it in her lap. Taking the open key she twisted it and opened the book.  
  
"Okay I have the book but now what do I do? I guess I'll read since I now lost all chances of gaining sleep....okay here goes" she thought to herself  
  
Without another thought she read the first incantation: "Amun kum ra Amun kum day,sep suyea karum...impium mech bya seruway umseta...yatuway yatuway yatuway"  
  
Suddenly a loud explosion and horrible scream ripped through the silence catching her attention and she dropped the book, as she looked up to see the pile of the once great Hamunaptra burst up like a volcanic eruption. Chunks were falling back to the ground landing with loud crashes. As this was going on, Lewis an the others were running out of their tents looking in the direction of the great explosion. Lewis turned around to see Angela running towards her tent. She stopped for a moment and gave him a look like that of a child saying "Oops". Everybody turned towards her and gave her looks of disbelief.  
  
"Okay why are you all looking at me like that? what did I do?" Angela asked  
  
"You have released a creature of which we have feared for more than three thousand year now you may have killed us all" a voice said from behind her.  
  
"Who...are you?" she asked as she turned around to face him.  
  
"Ardeth Bay and we are the last people you'll ever see in your miserable lives" he said  
  
With a signal of his hand the Med Jai took out their scimitars and rifles. More appeared from behind the dunes and started shooting. There was chaos everywhere, people running, getting shot and slashed you name it. Angela took this opportunity to pick up the book and key then she ran fast, jumping onto her horse and galloping away but to to her dismay suddenly getting cornered by the Med Jai.  
  
"Damn what am I going to do" Angela thought as she turned the horse around and galloped back the way she had come from.  
  
"Help me Angela!!!" Lewis was yelling as he was being chased by Ardeth Bay  
  
"Oh damn!" Angela got her horse right behind Ardeth Bay and as she slowly closed in on him she stood on her horse and she lunged on him knocking him off his horse.  
  
As they tumbled to the ground Angela managed to pull Ardeth's gun out of his hands and shot his scimitar out of reach as he took it out. Somehow he managed to knock the gun out of her hand and pin her down to the ground. Angela kneed him in the stomach and flipped him over her. Before he could get up she kicked him as hard as she could, but the second time around the warrior grabbed her leg and knocked her to the ground. As he tried to grab her she heard a voice shout out.  
  
"Go Angela, beat the bloody bastard to a pulp!" Lewis was shouting to her as he galloped away on his horse.  
  
"You bastard! and you! what makes you think you can kill me" Angela said angrily as she punched Ardeth in the jaw. "You have no right!"  
  
Before he could answer she picked up a stick of dynamite and lid it as she stood up. Everyone left looked at her in horror as she swung it over her head as if it were a toy.  
  
"Okay you guys want to kill...I'll give you kill" she said furiously  
  
Ardeth recognized this same picture...he had seen the same look in the American's eyes when they had ambushed them in Hamunaptra...dynamite and all.  
  
"We shall shed no more blood, but leave and never return" he said sternly  
  
Everyone turned towards Angela who hesitantly pulled out the wick from the stick which automatically turned off the fuse. All around there was a sound of relief heard. Even Angela was thankful that Ardeth had reacted like that...she couldn't believe she had just done that without a thought about the consequences.  
  
"What about that thing that you say I set free?"  
  
"We shall kill him and if we can't we shall seek out the help of the one they call Rick O'Connell"  
  
"Rick O'Connell?, oh my god...he's my-" but before she could continue she was interrupted by another shrieking scream.  
  
That's when everyone that was left jumped onto their horses and rode away into the desert. Angela was the last to get on her horse and ride away into the mystical night.  
  
"My brother is alive?" the new thought that had entered Angela's mind seemed to not want to go at all...Rick was alive!!!!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
*~~~Rome, Italy, R.A.F Airport~~~*  
  
A friend of Rick's had let him and the rest of gang leave on the first plane available to Cairo. Unfortunately for the gang a storm had made them be delayed and so the plane had to land immediately in Rome for the time being. A nasty reminder of how fate, destiny, and time were always hand in hand ready to throw one off course if things looked as if they were not going to go their way. Fortunately (or not) for them the three ethereal beings had other things in mind as the weather cleared and the sun seeped through the hazy clouds in a mist of serene heavenly light.  
  
"Well, our plane for Cairo is here, come on" Rick said as he picked up his bags and walked over to the small plane.  
  
Evelyn and Jonathan took a last look at the mountains in the distance then stepped onto the plane bound for the city that was still a nightmare to remember.  
  
"So what are we going to do? When we get to Cairo?" Jonathan asked  
  
"Find the Book of the Dead and destroy it before anyone can read from it" Evie replied anxiously  
  
"That ought to be easy" Rick calmly said  
  
"But what if somebody already read from the book? then we would have to go through the same thing over again" Jonathan said anxiously  
  
"Lets just hope they haven't because there's no telling what Imhotep will do, he'll be twice as angry...looking for revenge" Evie replied as she looked out the window,  
  
"Well, if he's awake there's no telling what I'll do to him and the person who woke him up" Rick said as he clenched his fist.  
  
As the plane flew towards Cairo so did the worries of all three of them. What they hadn't realized was that David had sneaked once again on board the lane on the way to Cairo too. It would take a few hours to get there but hours seemed like centuries.  
  
*~~~Back in Cairo~~~*  
  
"When I find Rick I'm going to hug him and try not to faint" Angela thought as she walked through the marketplace. "Either that or pummel him senseless"  
  
"Jewelry, Trinkets and Maps! Come and get them! Very cheap!" a vendor shouted in Arabic as Angela walked by holding the reigns of her horse.  
  
She couldn't help but think about that voice...that haunting, sexy voice and about the book which she had with her along wit the necklace and key. The huge explosion was another horrid thing and that scream was a little too  
  
scary for her.  
  
"I guess I'll see if they have any vacant rooms at Fort Brydon, it seems like a calm enough place at least there I won't run into bugs and other icky things" Angela thought as she got onto her horse and galloped towards the fort. "No problems here"  
  
*~~~A hotel in Cairo~~~*  
  
"Where is Angela?!! You were supposed to keep an eye on her!! now she's gone! the inheritance is gone and all because of you!" Lewis shouted angrily as his henchmen watched nervously.  
  
"But Mr. Calabar you saw the attack they ambushed us, we were surrounded and scattered!" Vinnie, the youngest of the henchmen said.  
  
"I don't care! she got away and now my chances of wealth are gone!...go find her and bring her to me....now!!" Lewis' voice echoed throughout the room.  
  
Everyone in the room nodded silently and quickly ran out of the room in search of Angela.  
  
"You aren't going to get away so easily Angela O'Connell I won't let you go" Lewis said as he stared at a picture of her.  
  
"Pardon me Mr. Calabar, but if we find Angela and she doesn't want to come back what should we do?" a newbie henchmen said as he peered through the door.  
  
"If Miss O'Connell refuses to return by means of good bring her back by force" he said sternly.  
  
*~~~In Hotel Hallway~~~*  
  
"Is it me or is Mr. Calabar crazy?" Vinnie asked nervously  
  
"He's insane Vinnie, never doubt that...he's been obsessed with Angela since they were young... but let's not go there, just listen to his instructions" one of the other henchmen said as they walked by him.  
  
Behind Vinnie was Anton, the 2nd oldest of the henchmen at age 26, he hated Lewis yet couldn't do anything about it. He hated having to go out and search for Angela, but he had to do it...it was either that or get shot. As they walked outside and got into two lines the main man said "Okay we are all going to split up and search for Miss O'Connell.. bring her back by force if she does not want to come back peacefully.. you guys got that. "  
  
Everyone remained silent as he said this not uttering a sound nor blinking an eye. They were all like marble statues blankly at the world.  
  
"Vinnie, Anton you two search the West side of the city and make sure you leave no stone unturned...do you catch my drift!!"  
  
"Yes we do sir...we understand perfectly well" Anton said sternly  
  
"Very well you two may go.. now"  
  
Vinnie and Anton slowly walked over to the car and hopped in. As Anton started the car he could hear the main man telling everyone where to go. Without saying another word he shook his head and sighed then drove away into the crowded street. "I hope we never find her" he thought. Lewis didn't love Angela at all he just loved her inheritance and that everyone knew. He cared for no one but himself. As for Angela he could care less what happened to her after the wedding, but for now she was his treasure and he couldn't let her go. Anton couldn't stand thinking about that as he drove towards the east side of town....he wanted to take Angela and get her out of Cairo....that is if she was still in Cairo, but that wasn't possible even if she was, for he knew what would happen if he tried to help her out and just imagining it made his stomach turn.  
  
"I want to be free Anton, free from his grasp, you're the only one I can trust.. help me get away from him...forever!" he could hear Angela's voice in his head pleading to him as he drove onwards.  
  
He could remember that day like it had happen an hour ago.. She was in her room trapped like a caged canary...he had helped her escaped only to have her get caught once more the next day in a plaza in London. He had seen the look of horror on her face as they grabbed her and stuffed her into the back seat of the car. Anton had to restrain himself from not punching the three guys who had grabbed her when she hadn't been looking. That night she had cried and tried to get out, but hadn't been able too. Lewis's father had given strict orders not to let her out.. his excuse being: she was extremely ill. Then one day her attitude changed and she became more calm and stern...yet she also had a touch of rebelliousness and she was very open minded. That had came as a shock, ah but Anton knew she was just trying to get on Lewis' good side which worked like a charm. Now his mind floated back in here to Egypt. Angela had gotten away on her own and was now free...free as a dove...free forever now.. or so he hoped.  
  
* ~~~Inside Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"Oh room sweet room, finally I can go to sleep without worrying about problems" Angela said as she walked into the room the attendant had given to her.  
  
After setting down her bags and locking the door Angela got out of her explorer like outfit and put on a scarlet, satin gown that revealed the voluptuous curves of her body. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned.  
  
"If only I had a guy that honestly loved me for who I was....I would be happy, I would give anything to have a guy like that" she thought as she turned around to see her pack of clothes where she had The Book of the Dead, Key and Necklace hidden.  
  
"No one will ever know I have you because if they do I'll lose you and your my only treasure...no one will ever know" she said aloud  
  
Angela turned around and nearly had a heart attack...there standing behind her was a man dressed in a long black, priest like robe. He was like a god...head-shaved, golden tan, intense eyed, muscular bare chest, and as handsome as any idol. Angela just stared at him not knowing what to say or do. The man didn't say anything except look her up and down as well. She slowly turned around and tried to say something to the reflection but not a word a came out. Suddenly he spoke to her.. not in English but in Ancient Egyptian.  
  
"You have awaken me, I never expected to see you again...Isiria"  
  
"Isiria? Who's Isiria?" she responded back nervously in Ancient Egyptian.  
  
"Do not act foolish with me Isiria, I know it is you and for awakening me I must thank you" he said in a soft voice.  
  
Without saying another word he walked up to her and turned her towards him then kissed her passionately. Angela was taken so much by surprise that she dug right in letting herself get engulfed by the moment. Now, step out of this reality for a moment and travel 3,000 years back in time...back to Thebes....city of the living. 


	2. Past Meets Present

Title: Imhotep's Obsession (Chapters 4,5,and 6)  
  
Author: Darlene Evelyn  
  
Feedback: Please let me know what you think but please don't be rude.  
  
Copyright: All Characters from both TM and TMR except for the new ones of course, which are mine, are sole property of Universal Pictures.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
*~~~1,290 B.C. Thebes, Egypt~~~*  
  
Isiria was the most beautiful of all dancers in the Temple of Osiris, a forbidden jewel to all men. Since the sun rose until it set over the Sahara...Isiria danced at the temple. When Imhotep wasn't busy with ceremonies for the dead he had the pleasure of watching her dance. Thebes loved Isiria and she loved Thebes. The city spoke a lot about her purity, dignity and appearance.. unlike the women of Thebes who had black hair and dark eyes she had long, dark brown hair and beautiful almond shaped eyes the color of honey. When Imhotep had seen her for the first time walking into the temple he instantly lusted for her. At night when he couldn't sleep he would watch her dance alone only with the flickering light of the torches. He loved watching her...and was fascinated by her voluptuous body, that alluring body of hers that seemed to call out to him..."Take me". Imhotep knew she was the forbidden jewel but he seemed to have a liking to forbidden things...they involved risk. Countless times he had tried to seduce her and countless times she had rejected him, but that just made him want her more.  
  
The other temple dancers were envious that Imhotep had preferred her over them, but she really didn't let get to her. Isiria was not the arrogant type, but yet she did have her pride. Now today was the annual rebirth of Osiris and there was to be a great celebration in the plaza. Imhotep was looking forward to not only bring back Osiris but also to watching his temple goddess dance, he was definitely going to savor the moment. Across town Isiria was getting ready, she couldn't wait!! It was going to be an exciting day! at least she thought so. As she walked out of her home she picked up her offering of fruits and papyrus she had gathered by the Nile that morning in a rush and set off for the plaza hoping not to be late...since she had overslept for the first time in her life.  
  
"Isis, goddess of rebirth, please watch over me today" she thought anxiously to herself.  
  
Suddenly she realized that she was already in the plaza entrance and as she entered it everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her in awe. She froze in her steps and just stood there not knowing how to react to this sudden wave of attention.  
  
"Do not be nervous, stay calm" she said to herself reassuringly.  
  
Straight ahead of her she could see Imhotep standing by the great statue of Osiris. His eyes were looking her up and down as she walked towards him slowly. Isiria could tell she was blushing since her cheeks were burning up in a scorching fire of deepening embarassment. She did feel something for Imhotep but she knew she couldn't ever tell him...the reason being she also knew about Anck-Su-Namun and him betraying Seti. Isiria didn't like that, first of all because she knew that sooner or later they would be caught and put to death...if not worse.  
  
"I cannot believe Anck-Su-Namun and Imhotep are betraying Pharaoh's trust...it is high treason against the crown, gods, I just hope nothing happens" she thought sternly.  
  
When she got to where Imhotep was standing he signaled the people to be quiet. As the pharaoh, his daughter Nefertiri, and mistress Anck-Su-Namun entered and sat in their places, the people silenced.  
  
"People of Thebes! Today the great god Osiris will be reborn and with this rebirth so shall our lives change, forever!" Imhotep declared sternly.  
  
Isiria felt a cold chill go down her back as she heard him say this, he looked look over at her as he did and smiled.  
  
"Now come Isiria, dance for Osiris, fill him with joy" he said  
  
Suddenly the drums started beating, the flutes whistling, and the bells ringing....the music had started, almost in a trance Isiria started to dance, the people fell silent as she glided across the swaying her body in a dance of seduction and fire. As she twirled around she could Imhotep smiling at her and she knew she wasn't just filling Osiris with joy but him as well. In the last chord she dropped to the ground lying there for a few seconds.  
  
Imhotep walked up to the altar and turned towards the people of Thebes and chanted along with the other priest: "Thou risest, thou shinest, making bright they mother, crowned King of the gods, doeth thee mother Nut with her two hands the act of worship, Receivth thee Manu with content, embraceth thee Maat at the double season. May he give splendor and power together with triumph, and a coming forth of the soul living to see the ka of Osiris. Grant that may be given to him cakes and beer, and a coming forth in the presence of Osiris; may he be like the followers of Horus forever! Behold Osiris!"  
  
Isiria looked up to see a brilliant light coming from the statue then with a flash it was gone! Everyone gasped and stood there in shock. Imhotep remained serene as if the flash had never even occurred.  
  
"Arise Isiria you have pleased Osiris....and you may leave your offerings here at the alter"  
  
That was the signal of the rituals end...the festival had at last begun. As the crowd slowly left their offerings Isiria walked in the direction of the temple she suddenly didn't want to stay at the festival something had came over her, a presentiment of some sort.  
  
"This is odd I didn't feel like this, this morning...what is wrong with me?" she thought  
  
As she walked into the temple she felt like someone was watching her, but didn't see anyone. Her heart was beating rapidly as she walked towards the statue of Osiris and she looked around as she heard footsteps behind her.  
  
'What is wrong with me, there is no one here but me.. so why do I feel as if I'm not alone?" she thought as she stopped.  
  
Noticing the statue of Osiris she smiled to herself and remembered the grand light in the plaza.  
  
"It's just you o'mighty one, your presence is overwhelming... you are back and we the people of Thebes are glad. I hope that our offerings have pleased you" she said out loud as she kneeled down in front of the statue and closed her eyes.  
  
"Your offerings have pleased him" a voice said from behind suddenly.  
  
Isiria immediately stood up and turned around to find Imhotep standing a few feet away from her.  
  
"I do not think Osiris was the only one pleased with some of the offerings" she said slyly.  
  
"Why do you not accept my love for you?" Imhotep asked softly  
  
"Because I know you do not love me, the person whom you truly love is as forbidden as I am" Isiria said sternly  
  
"What are you talking about?" Imhotep asked nervously  
  
"Anck-Su-Namun, Seti's Mistress...you and her are lovers...you are betraying Seti, that will be taken as an act of treason if you are discovered... and death will be your punishment, if not worse...in all reality there are things far worse than death itself" she answered coldly  
  
This came as a shock to Imhotep who couldn't find any excuse to come up with to answer her words.  
  
"What is worst than death?" he then asked cynically almost laughing.  
  
Isiria didn't answer him, she just stared at him giving him a disappointed look...he had stumped her once again like he had done so many times before. Imhotep saw her sudden confusion and then walked up to her and stood a couple of feet away from her.  
  
"I know about you and Anck-Su-Namun...that you have been seeing her in her chambers in the evenings...my question is....why? why could you not have chosen some else that was free of Seti's grasp?" she continued to say.  
  
"Like you perhaps" Imhotep answered  
  
There was a silent moment in which he merely looked at her, marveling perhaps, she couldn't tell. At his words, her own heart started to beat rapidly, he knew. And before she realized what had happened she felt his right arm on her left arm. Then he drew her towards him, close to him, her breasts against his chest, and he kissed her, his mouth opening over hers claiming them as his own at that very moment. The heat was immediate and utterly mind consuming. She reached up to push him a way but found her fingers undoing his robe instead. He then picked her up and carried her towards his chamber. The entire way she was silent, she couldn't think of anything to tell him...she was under his spell.  
  
Incense here; the wax candles lit. He set her down on silken pillows. The erotically, dancing flames of the candles made her close her eyes as the heat seeped through her veins. Perfume rising from the silk beneath her. A bower he had made for her, for himself, for this very moment.  
  
"I love you Isiria, my Egyptian queen...my timeless beauty" he whispered lovingly in her ear.  
  
His kisses paralyzed her instantly and she lay back, eyes closed and let him open her tight choli blouse and cutaway skirt. Luxuriating in this helplessness, Isiria let him rip away the rest of her garments. She lay naked, looking up at him as he knelt over her peeling off his own garments. Regal he seemed, his chest glowing golden in the light, then she felt his delicious weight come upon her crushing her. A soft, ecstatic moan escaped her lips. "I am yours forever" she whispered. He smiled softly and went into her. Pain burnt itself out in her mounting passion. She was kissing him ravenously; kissing the salt and heat from his neck, his face, his shoulders. He drove hard into her and she arched back, lifting herself, pressing herself against him. She cried out as if she were to truly die at that very moment. She heard a deep growl rise from his throat as he came into her. But this was only the beginning. Never had Imhotep received so much passion from Anck-Su-Namun as he did from Isiria. She truly did love him and tonight she had shown him that.  
  
Just before sunrise, they stopped making love. Imhotep was now asleep, but Isiria was not. "They will all know by afternoon Anck-Su-Namun will try to hurt him.. I will be killed!" she realized. Isiria lay besides Imhotep beneath the warm sheets of his bed. She kiss him and slowly got out of bed and dressed herself. Without making any noise she walked outside took a last look at the temple and walked home in silence, trying really hard not to fight against a feeling that urged her to turn around, but she didn't go back. Before the city had woken she had gotten a camel, loaded it up with a few belongings and left the city. Before she lost view of Thebes she turned and blew a kiss to the city she loved.  
  
"Good Bye Imhotep, it was for the well being of all of us" she said sadly before finally turning and disappearing into the desert.  
  
Isiria had a feeling that today was going to be a day that was truly forever going to change many lives and the world itself...how right she was. On that day Seti was killed, Anck-Su-Namun committed suicide, and Imhotep was condemned to endure the Hom-Dai...a fate worst than death.  
  
He had woken up to find Isiria gone. The entire morning he had searched for her thru out the entire city, but no one knew where she had gone to. Isiria had just disappeared without a trace, he had never felt so hurt and so alone as he did today. In an act of desperation he had gone back to Anck-Su- Namun and being caught by Seti, killed him. He realized that he was going mad without her. Knowing he would never see Isiria again he had promised to bring back Anck-Su-Namun, at least he would have her in the end, but once trying to bring her back he was caught by Pharaoh's bodyguards, the Med- Jai, and sentenced with the Hom-Dai...the worst of all Ancient Egyptian curses and the rest of the story you already know.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
*~~~Back at Fort Brydon-Angela's Room~~~*  
  
"So you're telling me that I am a girl named Isiria...I am truly sorry but I am not her, you have to understand that...I am not the girl who was your lover and who left you...I am sorry that, that happened to you and I am sorry that I am not her" Angela said anxiously.  
  
Imhotep shook his head in disagreement. This after she had shoved him away from her and he had explained the entire story...all except the part about Seti, Anck-Su-Namun and the curse.  
  
"I am sorry...I feel bad that I cannot be who you want me to be" she said sadly.  
  
"Do not feel sorry... you should not feel like that because you are Isiria, no matter how much you deny it, you are her and I love you with all my heart" he said softly.  
  
Angela who was sitting on her bed stood up and walked over to the window and looked outside at the fort that was bustling with tourists and soldiers who were walking in the garden talking about life and how bloody hot it was. The day was gorgeous and filled with sunshine and just a few puffy clouds here and there. She smiled to herself and sighed and when she turned around she found Imhotep standing about two feet away from her.  
  
"I love you" he said hypnotically  
  
Before saying another word he kissed her again more ardently than before. Angela lost all feeling in her body and she just kissed him back, letting herself be immersed in his passionate grasp. Just as he had done with Isiria, he picked her up and carried her to her bed...she was under his control.  
  
*~~~The entrance to the City of Cairo, Egypt -2:00pm~~~*  
  
"Well, here we are, Cairo a city that I thought I would never see again....I don't like this bloody city" Jonathan said wearily. "The sooner we get out of here the better"  
  
"Oh relax Jonathan we're just here to get the damn Book and key then we're out of here" Rick said calmly.  
  
"Or maybe not" Evelyn suddenly said as she pointed towards the horizon with a worried look on her face. "That doesn't look too good"  
  
In the distance they could see dark clouds coming towards Cairo...dark, menacing clouds.  
  
"It's just a storm Evelyn, don't worry about it...put the past behind you" Jonathan said  
  
They picked up their luggage and walked towards the cab that was parked in front of the mini airport. They placed their luggage into the trunk and hopped into the cab then it rode away towards Fort Brydon. After they had left David got into another cab and followed them.. he knew they were up to something.. and he was going to find out what.  
  
"I'm sorry to be such a nag but that doesn't look like your usual storm" Evie said nervously.  
  
Jonathan took a good look at the clouds and his expression changed dramatically "You're right Evie that looks like the storm that happened last year when Imhotep arrived with his first of many plagues"  
  
Rick laughed and shook his head and said with a carefree smile "Oh you guys stop it...don't worry so much, it's just a storm and that's all...Imhotep is dead!"  
  
Evelyn and Jonathan exchanged worried glances and remained quiet the rest of the way. Somehow their intuition told them this was not going to be a usual storm. From inside of the cab they could see merchants scurrying trying to put their belongings inside of their homes or on their carts. The wind had picked up quite a bit and the it was blowing sand everywhere making small dervishes, this was never a good thing.  
  
*~~~Back at Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
Angela was passionately kissing the man of whose name she did not know. She had never dreamt about being in this situation in her entire life. Suddenly she realized once more that it was kinda weird to be kissing a guy who she didn't even know. She gently pushed him away fighting the urge to pull him back and let him kiss her all over. As she sat up she couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated.  
  
"I do not know what to say" she told him breathlessly in Egyptian.  
  
"Do not say anything, just let me lead you" he said as he reached for her again only to have her back away.  
  
"No, we cannot do this...I do not know who you are, what is your name?"  
  
"My name is Imhotep and I am the High Priest of Osiris, but of course you already know that Isiria...why do you play games with me?"  
  
"Alright Imhotep, then I must tell you who I am... my name is Angela...and now come to think of it you are the one who spoke to me in the desert, did you not?"  
  
Imhotep nodded and smiled, but Angela just stared at him. She knew he didn't believe her, yet even if she wasn't Isiria she actually did feel some sort of attraction towards him but she really couldn't explain it....she just stared at him in awe. In return he stared back at her for another silent moment. Angela didn't say anything at all, this was a staring match so she just continued on doing it trying to figure out what he was thinking. Suddenly he smiled as if knowing what she was trying to do...and that gorgeous smile of his made Angela melt in an instant. Without saying a word he kissed her once more. This time Angela couldn't control herself and she started undoing his robe, but this moment of intense passion was about to be broken with the sound of desperate screams for help.  
  
"Oh my god, fire...the end has finally arrived!" people were shouting as they were all running for their lives."God help us all!"  
  
At the sound of the screams Angela stopped and was about to stand up, but before she could Imhotep caught hold of her hand and stopped her.  
  
"Do not worry, my princess, it is nothing"  
  
She wasn't about to ruin the moment, and neither was Imhotep who now slipped the straps off of her shoulders as he kissed her and laid her on her bed.  
  
*~~~Outside of Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"Oh my god! What's happening?" Jonathan was shouting edgily  
  
"He's here....again" Rick replied looking around for any signs of the high priest.  
  
Fireballs were falling from the sky as the thunder rumbled loudly and lightning flashed everywhere. The courtyard inside the fort was filled with utter panic-merchants, camels, soldiers and horses running in all directions doing their best to dodge the fireballs and hail. A few people were now running to the central fountain to get buckets of water so they could put out the small fires that had just erupted in some areas.  
  
"Who could have awaken him?!" Evelyn shouted to Rick and Jonathan as they ran down the hall entrance.  
  
"I don't know, but when we find them I'm going to kill them!!!" Rick responded  
  
"Is that how you resolve all your problems?" Jonathan asked a bit puzzled  
  
"No, why do you ask?" Rick asked curiously  
  
"Oh no reason" replied Jonathan "No reason at all"  
  
"Oh damn I can't believe this...we have to find a place where we can be safe from those things" Rick shouted just as a ball of fire flew by him...nearly hitting him.  
  
As they continued running down the hallway Jonathan stumbled onto the floor unable to run anymore. Looking up he saw Rick up ahead and he tried to stand up, saying anxiously "What wouldn't I do to have a beautiful girl appear right about now...then I could at least die a happy man, that's the least god could do...oh also bring me a glass whiskey while he's at it!"  
  
Suddenly as if in answer to his beseeching, somebody had crashed into him and once again he was on the floor along with the person who had run into him.  
  
"Watch it!!" Jonathan said angrily  
  
"Oh god, I'm so sorry, but my room it's on fire.. I need help!" the girl said panicking  
  
Jonathan looked up to find a young lady standing up and offering to help him up. When he saw her he was left dumbfounded, never had he seen such a beautiful women such as this one. Compared to all the other women he had ever seen she was a goddess incarnate. Realizing that he was gawking at her he took her hand and she pulled him up.  
  
"Oh thank you god!!! Oh wait! I'm terribly sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you, it was entirely my fault, uh how can I help you, miss?" he asked awestruck.  
  
People were running here and there...some very unlucky ones were being struck by fireballs setting them on fire instantly. It was a barrage of hail and fire that hurtled down assaulting the courtyard like an air raid.  
  
"I need help!! please help me! my room I couldn't, oh god! my room is on fire!! my stuff is still in there!" she was explaining to him anxiously.  
  
"Okay calm down" Jonathan said, trying to reassure her.  
  
"Calm down! how can I calm down?! I have artifacts from a dig in there! I need to get them out! or they'll be destroyed!!" she freaked out.  
  
Without saying another word she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to her room door. In the meantime Rick had gotten Evelyn to safety down the hallway that led to the room where Burns had been turned into a burnt human husk the year before.  
  
"What exactly do you have in there?"  
  
"Uh, a necklace and uh, some other artifacts made of precious metal"  
  
"What kinda of precious metal?"  
  
"Gold and uh, obsidian why?" Angela asked curiously  
  
"Well, uh I just wanted to know because some stuff isn't really worth risking your life for" he said suddenly realizing he had said that, he was amazed with himself in fact he was left in a slight state of shock.  
  
"Oh believe me pal, this stuff is worth risking your life over"  
  
*~~~A marketplace in Cairo~~~*  
  
Screams could still be heard all around...many people were either dead or injured from the fury of hail that had fallen on Cairo....suddenly though as if by magic the hail had stopped and the clouds had disintegrated into nothing...leaving only blue sky and the bright Egyptian sun.  
  
"The dead have risen....it is Armageddon, we are all doomed!!!" a man shouted in Arabic just as he ran out of an alley with a look of utter shock.  
  
People now were not only running in all directions cause of the fires but also because it seemed they had seen a ghost....well close enough. For out of a dark corner of the marketplace near the alley emerged a slimy, semi decomposing corpse...that looked half eaten by animals or insects to be exact.  
  
"I'm going to love this place...in fact I'm going to love it so much I'm going to destroy it along with my master" the corpse said slyly.  
  
It looked straight ahead and saw the buildings toppling, crumbling, and completely covered in fire. He then smiled barring his rotten teeth and gums...the fort lay just across the other side of the city and with it the promise of becoming the person it once had been.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
*~~~Inside Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"Okay I have an idea!" Angela said excitedly as she ran over to where men were filling buckets with water.  
  
"Well, what is it?" Jonathan asked  
  
Without another word Angela dumped one of the buckets on him and then dumped the next on herself, both were soaked from head to toe.  
  
"What was that for?!" Jonathan said exasperated  
  
"What else? so our clothes don't burn, now come on!" she said as she grabbed him and ran into the room.  
  
The room was almost completely engulfed in fire. In the far corner of the room was Angela's pack of clothes and artifacts. Running over to it Angela grabbed her pack that held the book as Jonathan helped her grab her other belongings. Suddenly Angela realized... "Where was Imhotep? Had he gotten out? and if he did how had he done so?"  
  
For a moment she froze in her steps and just stood looking around frantically but no sign of him. Without warning Jonathan grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of the room as two pieces of wood came crashing down where Angela had just been standing. When they arrived outside Angela still looked around to see if Imhotep was outside, but no sign of him anywhere at all.  
  
"I can't believe I just did that!" Jonathan said relieved and amazed that he had just ran into a room engulfed in fire.  
  
"Thank you very much for helping me out, how can I ever repay you?" Angela asked gratefully.  
  
"Oh don't worry it was nothing...really"  
  
"No I really want to repay you for what you've done"  
  
"Seeing you smile is payment enough, but I guess if you want to, tell me your name"  
  
"Okay if that's what you want, my name is Angela...what's yours?"  
  
"My name is Jonathan Carnarvon, nice to meet you....in such a frightful event"  
  
"Nice to meet you too Jonathan, again thank you very much"  
  
Looking at the room, Angela went into a state of shock.. seeing it completely destroyed suddenly caused her to suddenly breakout in tears of desperation. Seeing this Jonathan hugged her gently.  
  
"So, where are you going to stay Angela?...my god, I'm really sorry about your room"  
  
"I don't know, I guess I'll have to stay out in the street or find an extremely cheap hotel and stay there for a few days...cause frankly I don't have much money"  
  
"Uh, if you don't mind you can stay with me, I mean, in my room"  
  
Angela smiled and couldn't believe and help but feel really grateful. Nobody had ever help her so much in her entire life as much as Jonathan had in these few minutes.  
  
"Oh Jonathan I really don't want to be a burden on you"  
  
"You won't be, and while we're at it I'll introduce you to my sister Evie and her fiancé"  
  
"Oh all right, I'll stay with you for a couple of days"  
  
With that Jonathan helped Angela with her stuff and led her to his room that he had reserved by telegram the day before. As they walked inside Angela set her stuff down and slowly balanced around at the room trying to get a feel for it, oddly enough she didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable being alone with Jonathan, it was actually the first time she had felt like that in a while.  
  
"So Angela, just a thought, but would you like to go out to dinner with me?" Jonathan asked timidly  
  
"Okay, I guess, after all this excitement I'm famished, just let me get out of this clothes and into something dry"  
  
"Well, I guess I should do the same thing" Jonathan said as he walked over to his trunk of clothes.  
  
Turning back he found that Angela was gone, looking over at the bathroom door he saw that it was shut and could hear Angela fumbling with her hair brush and stuff. Suddenly it occurred to him that he had helped out Angela, saved her from a certain death, and had her here! in his room! It was an odd feeling he had never experienced before, he couldn't really tell what it was.  
  
"Jonathan, you're in love with her!" he thought suddenly  
  
As he had been thinking this Angela stepped into the room and walked towards him wearing a beautiful, but somewhat revealing, burgundy summer dress. Jonathan froze at the sight of seeing her standing there smiling at him with that seductive mouth of hers.  
  
"Do I look okay?" she asked curiously suddenly noticing that he was gawking at her.  
  
"Uh, yes you look positively stunning"  
  
"Thank you, I totally have to get use to wearing dresses. I'm not a really good dresser when it comes to dresses and stuff like that"  
  
"Well, all I can say is that no matter how you're dressed you would look beautiful"  
  
"How do you know that? we've only known each other for what? an hour, now?"  
  
"I just know, it's uh a talent, you can say, of mine.......well we should get going now!"  
  
"Pardon me for saying this but I don't think you want to go to dinner looking like that"  
  
Jonathan was already at the door and froze suddenly realizing she was right. He turned and walked back, picked up his dry clothes and walked into bathroom. While waiting Angela sat down and sighed, the room seemed like a sanctuary that she felt safe in even though she hardly knew Jonathan at all, but her intuition told her to stay cause for some reason it would be worth it.  
  
"Okay Angela we can go now, hopefully we'll run into my sister on the way"  
  
"Well, I'm set, where are we going?" she asked suddenly.  
  
That's when the dream balloon suddenly bursts in Jonathan's face with a bang...there weren't any decent places near the fort or anywhere for that matter that he knew of. But he wanted so much to make her happy.  
  
"Ok well just follow me and I'll show you"  
  
He took her by the hand and led her outside and down the hallway, his hand squeezing hers wondering what her reaction would be when he showed her where he was taking her to have a bite.  
  
"Let's stop here for a moment, I want you to close your eyes"  
  
Angela gave him a puzzled look then followed his instructions. She looked so innocent and so delicate with her eyes closed. Jonathan caught himself when he realized he was staring at her.  
  
"Now follow me" he said as he guided her down the stairs towards their destination.  
  
People were still putting out the fires and starting to clean up all the debris that had fallen, still a bit nervous yet they were sort of use to this event in away. Walking down the stairs Jonathan could still remember seeing the fireballs and hail that had fallen the year the before when Imhotep had came, a sudden chill went down his back causing him to stumble a bit.  
  
"Are we there yet? this is kinda weird...where are you taking me?" Angela asked curiously  
  
"Okay Angela, we're here you can open your eyes now....1...2..3"  
  
Angela smiled and quickly opened her eyes like an eager child who had been awaiting a huge present, her reaction suddenly changed into a look of shock almost traumatic shock.  
  
"The Casbah!? Jonathan you brought me to the Kasbah!!! there is no way in hell you're getting me in there! if you wanted to surprise me Jonathan....it worked! but no way I'm setting foot in that place" Angela said appalled.  
  
"Angela please I just need to find Evie and Rick, they must be in there looking for me don't ask why.. you'll find out in time, believe me...I wasn't planning on bringing you here"  
  
"Ugh! fine but this the first and final time I go in there"  
  
They then walked in though Angela for a moment had been reluctant to go, but nonetheless followed. As they made their way through Angela suddenly noticed all the men staring at her as if she were some kind of treasure that they could get their greedy hands on. Jonathan noticed this as well and gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. Within these walls in the dim lighting soldiers and ex-soldiers of His Majesty plus soldiers of fortune mixed with bad women and bad booze in search of "a good time." The ceiling fans stirred the stale air as they stopped and looked around.  
  
"Look there they are! there are Rick and Evie!" Jonathan pointed towards a handsome guy with sky blue eyes, a leathery tan, and unruly brown hair, next to him was a woman with brown hair and grayish brownish eyes wearing a very conservative navy blue dress with a V-neck, who had a prissy air.  
  
"Well lets meet up with them" Angela suddenly said  
  
"Okay let's go" Jonathan said as they walked towards the two.  
  
"Rick, Evie I knew you'd be here! I'd like you two to meet someone I just met...this is Angela" Jonathan said joyfully.  
  
Rick turned to greet him and suddenly stepped back awestruck at the sight of Jonathan's new friend.  
  
"Uh, Hi Angela, uh...what brings you here to this place?" Rick asked.  
  
"Well, Jonathan brought me here as a practical joke.. would you believe me on that one" Angela giggled nervously.  
  
"Ay I actually would believe you, that's exactly why we're here, you see this is Jonathan's hang out spot, he loves it here...and for fun he plays practical jokes on girls such as you...this is his home away from home" Rick said swirling the whisky in his shot glass.  
  
"Yours too O'Connell" Jonathan commented dryly.  
  
After a sudden long moment of silence Angela and Jonathan took a seat. The atmosphere suddenly became uncomfortable and quite tense, no one at the table said a word.  
  
"So Angela, where are you from?" Evelyn asked suddenly.  
  
"I'm from Chicago, Illinois" Angela responded.  
  
"Hey! I'm from Chicago too!" Rick said amiably suddenly interested in the conversation.  
  
"Wow! that's amazing! I never thought I'd run into someone from Chicago...here in Cairo! my god how interesting" Angela said happily.  
  
"Ya I can't believe it either, so tell me what did you like most about Chicago? isn't it the most interesting and exciting city you've ever seen? god! what do you think of Hyde Park? and the 57th Street Beach?" Rick was asking with extreme enthusiasm  
  
"Whoa! okay let me start out by saying that I only lived there until the age of seven, but I can tell you that in that short amount of time I came to love the city, especially Hyde Park and 57th St. Beach, in fact every Sunday my family and I would go to either one of those places and have picnics after mass, it was the funniest thing ever! What about you? how long did you live in Chicago?" Angela asked joyfully.  
  
"Well In lived in Chicago until I was fourteen that's when I moved to New York with my aunt... family problems forced me to go, but overall I loved Chicago too"  
  
Noticing that both Angela and Rick weren't really saying anything to them Jonathan looked over at Evelyn who was surprisingly looking jealous at them as they talked and laughed about things and places she didn't know anything about. He could so tell that she wanted to interrupt, but before she could Jonathan took Evelyn by the hand and stood up to leave.  
  
"Come on Evie let's go outside to get some air, I think it'll do you some good" he said softly  
  
Evelyn looked up at him in a stern manner but found that for the first time no words could come out of her mouth. Glancing over at Angela she really couldn't help but feel envious of her. Rick really never spoke to her with such spark and enthusiasm when she spoke to him, in fact he always seemed bored and tuned out. Walking towards the door Evelyn stopped and turned towards Jonathan who almost crashed into her.  
  
"Jonathan, where did you find her? why did you bring her here! if you wanted a girlfriend you didn't have to-ugh! forget it I'm going outside like you said" Evelyn said jealously  
  
"Mum, calm down! I met her during the storm! you shouldn't act like this, this isn't you, Evie what's wrong?" Jonathan asked confusedly.  
  
"Nothing Jonathan, absolutely nothing is wrong with me"  
  
"Oh I know! you're jealous of Angela"  
  
"Me? jealous! ha! don't make me laugh"  
  
"Oh but you are Evie, admit it....you're jealous that O'Connell is actually having a full and fun conversation with her unlike the ones he has with you"  
  
Without saying else Evelyn stormed out of the Kasbah with Jonathan trailing behind her. During this argument Rick and Angela hadn't even noticed that they had left instead they were merrily conversing as if they were old friends or family members who hadn't seen each other in years.  
  
"So tell me Rick, did you have any siblings?"  
  
"Yes I had a sister who was or is about your age, she was the youngest, but still she enjoyed doing things with me and I with her"  
  
"So where is she?"  
  
"I don't know, when I left to New York at the age of fourteen my sister stayed with my dad who was an alcoholic, our mom had left him five months before and he went down hill from there"  
  
"I'm sorry, how old was your sister when you left?"  
  
"Seven, I can still remember the look of utter sadness on her face as my uncle drove away with me in the car, before then our family was the happiest on I've ever seen. We always had parties and went out on the weekends. I remember on one outing to the park my sister was balancing herself on a small bridge that cross the lake, me being the oldest and most mischievous walked up behind her and scared her, but she fell in and I had to jump in to save  
  
her"  
  
"Oh man, Rick your parents must have been so angry at you"  
  
"Ya in fact the moment we had gotten out of the water my father grabbed me and said "Young man what the hell do you think you were doing? your sister could have drowned! I- "  
  
"If you weren't my son I swear I would have killed you...you good for nothing child!"  
  
"Uh how did you know?" Rick asked suspiciously  
  
"Lucky guess, the same thing happened to my brother what a coincidence, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, it is, so Angela what was one of your most memorable moments?"  
  
"Well it was at the age of 5, I had to be in the school play of Peter Pan's Adventures, the night of the performance my parents and my brother totally forgot about it and left me there without saying good luck or anything, that night when I had gotten home I climbed up to the roof and sat there crying, my brother tried to bring me down but nothing, then my dad being the rough guy that he was took a lasso and literally lassoes me like a horse and yanked me down through the shaft I had climbed up on"  
  
"You know that is exactly something that happened to my sister, pardon me for asking but who were your parents?" Rick asked.  
  
"My parents were Michael and Janet O'Connell"  
  
Rick went silent in an utter state shock of at the sound of those names, he had never expected her to answer that.  
  
"So your complete name would be Angela Marie O'Connell"  
  
"Oh god, how did you know? Did you know my parents or my brother?"  
  
"Angela, I am your brother...I'm Richard O'Connell oh my god.. we're......"  
  
"Family...you're my brother!" Angela said jubilant  
  
Both went into a slight state of shock once more. Unable to contain themselves they both started crying...tears of happiness. Instinctively they hugged each other tightly not wanting to ever let go of each other.  
  
"I can't believe this is happening, after so long I finally found you!" Angela said happily  
  
"I know, we have so much to talk about, come on let's go" Rick said as they parted.  
  
Watching this entire moment was Evelyn who was now blushing with anger and envy. Jonathan knew she wanted to hit him so he kept his distance from her in case she tried anything foolish. Though Jonathan was already used to the fact that when he got in trouble he either got punched or slapped in the face. Noticing that Rick was coming Evelyn straightened herself out and sat down on a bench trying to look distracted.  
  
"You two look awfully happy, may we know the reason why?" Jonathan asked curiously.  
  
"This will be hard to believe but Angela and I are family! she's my sister!" Rick said excited over this new event.  
  
Jonathan fainted.  
  
*~~~Downtown Cairo~~~*  
  
Anton and Vinnie were just parking the car in front of the bustling marketplace. The entire way there they both had been completely silent not a word was said...not even when the storm hit. Seriousness and silence was a must for this job, one small move and you lost all sense of direction or the person who you're searching for.  
  
"What do you think that was a moment ago?" Vinnie finally asked  
  
"I have no idea, must have been something to do with the atmosphere.. who knows?" Anton responded with a slight shrug. "To tell you the truth I've never seen something like that"  
  
Stepping out of the car Vinnie walked into the marketplace and immediately started asking about Angela, while Anton looked at the sky hoping that what had happened didn't happen again while he was out here...it was just too unreal. Walking up to Vinnie he paused trying to hear what he was asking exactly.  
  
Turning around Vinnie jumped slightly and regained his composition "So do you think we'll find her?"  
  
"Don't know, I mean for all we know she could have gotten on a train and gone to some other city far from here" Anton responded trying to conceal his urgency and worry, hoping that she really had left.  
  
Anton didn't like the idea of having to track down Angela like a wolf hunting for it's unsuspecting prey. Deep down he loved her like a sister and he knew that if Lewis found out about that he would be killed without notice and erased completely from this earth without a trace.  
  
"Vinnie, why do you work for Lewis?" Anton asked suddenly.  
  
"Mostly because I need the money and I guess I need a bit of adventure and action in my life...what about you?"  
  
"I owe Lewis a favor and I'm also here because of a girl"  
  
"A girl! you! the silent, serious one of the group....whoa Anton, I'm amazed"  
  
"  
  
I don't care if you think it's weird,. but yes a girl...you don't know her, so I won't mention any names...don't tell anyone"  
  
Vinnie smiled and turned to continue looking around and asking people more questions.  
  
"Have you seen this girl?" Anton asked an Arabic merchant while showing him a picture of Angela, hoping that he would answer the same as the others...no.  
  
"Yes, I have, she was heading towards Fort Brydon" the merchant answered.  
  
"Thank You, my good man" Anton said softly.  
  
Anton put the picture into his jacket pocket and looked over at Vinnie who was a couple of yards away from him asking merchants. Immediately he saw the light at the end of the tunnel that could possibly save Angela....preventing Vinnie from going to the fort.  
  
"Hey Vinnie, there she goes, there she goes!" Anton started shouting.  
  
Vinnie looked up to see in the direction that Anton had pointed and looked back at Anton with a confused look.  
  
"Where is she?" Vinnie shouted back.  
  
"Over there she just rounded the corner...she was running in the direction of the train station! stop her before she gets a cab or something!" Anton shouted frustratingly  
  
Vinnie then ran into the direction Anton had pointed hoping to catch up with Angela. Watching him disappear around the corner of the alleyway, Anton smiled and turned back towards the fort. "Angela, please for the love of god, I hope you got of Cairo" he thought as he walked towards Fort Brydon hoping Angela had left on the first train out of town.  
  
*~~~Hotel Stack, a mile from the Fort~~~*  
  
"David, ol'boy you're in Cairo, now next on your agenda find Angela at the dig site, become famous....ah yes following Evelyn will work out splendidly. I will have money, fame and a woman" David was saying to his reflection in the mirror of his room.  
  
The room was rather modest only a bed, a table, and a closet...but the view of the plaza was nice, if you like the sight of camels and yelling merchants. David who was still staring at the mirror, closed his eyes where his mind then took him back to the first day he had seen Angela walking into his office looking for a job...he had been left awestruck by her beauty and open- mindedness. In fact without even asking for references or any other information he had hired her, much to her surprise and the surprise of her fiancé.  
  
"Angela, you will be mine, no matter what the cost" he thought. "But I guess I should first get the book, the treasure and fame, I don't think Angela would want some poor fool, no, she would want someone with power, authority and fame"  
  
There was a sudden knock at the door, David bid them come in and a tall man dressed in Bedouin clothing walked in, a worker it seemed, by the name of Al Janain.  
  
"Yes, what do you want?" David asked, suddenly annoyed.  
  
The man sat down and gave him a look of worry, frustration, and absolute fear, something was troubling him. "There was a problem at the dig site in Hamunaptra, something went terribly wrong, I will explain everything"  
  
**~~~Sunset, An alleyway in Cairo, Egypt~~~**  
  
The sun was doing it's daily thing of setting over the horizon...causing a beautiful paint like image of the sun going down over the Sahara. The blue dusk striped by the orange dying sun was exceptionally beautiful, but beauty sometimes leads to things, horrible things emerging from the darkness of the mind and the ultimate fears of our sub-conscious. It was said long ago that the dead would rise out of their tombs and underground city at sunset to stand on the banks of the Nile looking longingly across the river at the living, but some of the dead don't like to stand on the bank. A small figure trudged down the dark corridors of Cairo glad it was getting dark, dressed in a hooded cloak it was glad that no one could see him for if anyone did they would start a commotion like the one in the afternoon.  
  
"I need to find whoever read that book and the fools who were at the dig site...I need to regenerate" it thought to itself  
  
It walked out of the alley and into the street towards the entrance of the fort, waiting for the right moment to sneak in, if it only knew who exactly had the book in their possession then he could get his job done faster.  
  
"My master and I shall take over this world and once we do, we shall destroy it...ah but how vengeance is good" it said to itself as it stopped by the entrance looking in at the people who hadn't a clue about what was in store for them. 


	3. Spiritus

Title: Imhotep's Obsession (Chapters 7,8, and 9)  
  
Author: Darlene Evelyn  
  
Feedback: Please let me know what you think but please don't be rude.  
  
Copyright: All Characters from both TM and TMR except for the new ones of course, which are mine are sole property of Universal Pictures. No profit is being made with this story.  
  
Chapter 7.  
  
Imhotep's Obsession  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon...Rick and Evie's quarters~~~*  
  
Laughter could be heard all through out the room. It was already 8:45pm.The entire afternoon from 4:15 until then Rick and Angela had told each other every detail about their lives.  
  
"I can't believe you were in the French Foreign Legion!" Angela said excitedly.  
  
"Yeah and on our last fight right at the last minute I got promoted and had to lead everyone against the Turaegs, when I saw that we were surrounded I ran with four warriors chasing me, then I made it to a statue and I turned to wait for my painful death, but I guess I scared them and they galloped away cause as I looked at the statue it-" Rick froze suddenly as if he had remembered something horrid.  
  
"It what?" Angela asked after a long silent moment.  
  
"Uh nothing, it must have been the statue 'cause there was nothing else there" he said laughing nervously.  
  
"Well, all I can say is that you're really lucky you had a life unlike me who spent most of my childhood in Boarding School isolated from the world" Angela suddenly got serious.  
  
"Don't worry you're still young you can enjoy life for what it is...so what happened those couple of years that you weren't at that jail?"  
  
"Well I wandered around London after I got out of the school and one day Lewis Calabar's mom happened to see me and since she knew about the whole marriage crap and she quickly dragged me into the car.. I was only 14 so I really couldn't fight against an adult although I should of cause that's when my hell started....and now unfortunately Lewis is my fiancé"  
  
"Why unfortunately?" Rick asked.  
  
"Because Lewis is a superficial, moronic jerk who is so self- centered...it's not even funny. I honestly think dad despised me, I mean, to make my life a living hell he arranged me to be married with Lewis at the age of twenty one, if I don't marry him I'll be disowned" she said sadly.  
  
"Ok, this isn't too good but you should know that I've already been disowned...I found that out a few months ago.....and about your marriage.....we'll just have to do something about that now won't we" Rick said sternly  
  
"You know, I think I'm never going to see him again considering we were all separated in an ambush.. I say it's for the better"  
  
Evelyn and Jonathan walked into the room...with a tray of cookies and tea. Finally standing up after hours of sitting Angela stretched out and walked over to the balcony where she opened the door to let in the cool air. Walking back over, Rick stood up and took her by the hand.  
  
"I can't believe I haven't showed you these" he said as he opened a small trunk.  
  
Angela peered into it to find photos of their parents and them also when they were children. Plus a few small trinkets that had belonged to their grandparents.  
  
"When I went back to Chicago and that's where I found out about me being disowned.. but I managed to get these things from one of dad's friends. I also got the news that mom died two years ago, it's too bad we never said good bye to her" Rick said softly  
  
"Well I know I shouldn't say this, but I don't miss mom after all she left us in the hands of our father, good for nothing jerk, I don't miss her one bit nor do I miss dad he never hardly cared for me why should I for him... but anyway I'm glad you have these for memories at least we have something to look back to no matter how stressful it was" Angela replied somewhat nonchalantly.  
  
Rick nodded "Yes, at least we have these to see and remind us no matter how bad our lives were back then".  
  
"Uh hem, could we cut in" Evelyn suddenly said.  
  
"Oh! why of course...how silly of us not to have you two be in our conversation, we got so carried away, please forgive us" Angela said guiltily  
  
"It's ok Angela...we understand" Jonathan responded.  
  
"So why are you in Cairo?" Evelyn asked.  
  
"Well, since you asked I'm here in Cairo because I was working on a dig out in the desert I got the job offered to me about four or five months ago back in London" Angela said indifferently.  
  
"Who hired you?"  
  
"A guy named David Richardson....why? do you know him?"  
  
A look of utter shock came across everyone's faces all of a sudden, as if they had just been slapped in the face.  
  
"Ok you guys, what's wrong? when I said his name it's like I had said a curse or something, what's wrong with David?"  
  
"Wait a second, Evelyn wasn't he supposed to tell the workers to get their asses out of there" Rick said grimly  
  
"Yes, he should have I can't understand why he didn't" Evelyn replied uneasily.  
  
"Maybe we didn't get the message on time before the ambush" Angela suddenly cut-in.  
  
"It could be a possibility but I'm calling him just to make sure that he did or didn't do it" Evie said as she walked out of the room to the room down stairs where you could make phone calls.  
  
Rick had gone downstairs with her to get some whisky...he really didn't care much for tea. He knew he would have to get use to it once he married Evelyn, but for now he decided to do whatever pleased him. Now Jonathan and Angela were left sitting in the room together ...alone. The room was silent, Angela was looking out of the window, admiring the stars and Jonathan, well, he was admiring her.  
  
"So, uh, Angela what do you plan on, uh, doing now that your brother is finally with you after so long?" Jonathan stuttered nervously.  
  
"I plan on going back to London with you guys and from there I'll find a decent job and hopefully I'll find a husband... but I doubt that...who would want to marry me?" she giggled nervously.  
  
"There is someone out there for you Angela, you'll find a husband, someone who cares about you and understands you" Jonathan said sweetly.  
  
"Well hopefully when I run into him, someone will tell me because frankly I've had bad luck in life...that I doubt I'll find a good one"  
  
Jonathan sighed and stood up. For a moment he stared at Angela who was too busy looking outside to even notice him. A heavenly light seemed to be surrounding her making her beauty become even more divine. He then left the room leaving her alone. As Angela looked out she could see the soldiers standing guard across from her and above them the crescent moon. She smiled and closed her eyes...suddenly her mind went into some sort of overdrive.  
  
She was standing inside what appeared to be a temple filled with lighted torches and priests chanting, in front of her was the statue of Osiris. As she walked towards it she heard a voice say...  
  
"My love you are here once again, dance for me"  
  
Angela turned around to find Imhotep standing behind her with an outstretched hand. She put her hand into his and he guided her towards the middle of a circle where the other dancers surrounded them. Taking her into his arms he kissed her fervently and she gave in. After what seemed to be an eternity he parted, turned and walked away towards the statue of Osiris and when he turned...his face was that of a grotesque, decomposing mummy! That's when Angela started screaming.  
  
"Oh my god! I have to get away! god, save me please!"  
  
When she turned though she found that there were more mummies standing behind her.  
  
"I was doomed to a life of eternal torment. I had to endure the Hom-Dai and all because of you Isiria! why? why did you leave me?!" he shouted angrily in Egyptian.  
  
"No please I didn't do anything to you, please don't kill me...I don't know what you're talking about!" Angela begged.  
  
Imhotep turned and disappeared and that's when suddenly the corpses closed in on her their horrid faces getting ever so close to her own as their hands grabbed her.  
  
"No let go of me!! no please!" she shouted in terror.  
  
Her eyes then burst open she could feel her heart racing a mile a second and she found Jonathan holding her down looking at her with worried eyes.  
  
'"It's okay Angela, it was just a nightmare...nothing to be afraid of" he was saying  
  
"But it was so real Jonathan, I mean everything...my surroundings, the corpses, the mummy...everything! They were going to kill me!" she said hysterically almost crying.  
  
"Did you say, a mummy?" he asked shockingly  
  
"Yes, it was a decomposing, walking, talking, mummy and that voice so piercing so hypnotic... wanted to kill me" she responded nervously.  
  
"Okay it was just a dream don't worry it wasn't real...it won't happen, just relax and I'll bring you some more tea, okay?"  
  
Angela nodded silently and put her hands to her head trying to calm herself down. That's when Rick walked into the room, seeing Angela he dropped his whisky and ran over to her.  
  
"Angela, what's wrong? are you okay?" he anxiously asked  
  
"Yes Rick I'm fine don't worry I uh, just had a bit of a scare with a dream, nothing to worry about...I swear"  
  
"Okay but if you have any problems please tell me and I'll help you out"  
  
"Thank you I will, but like I said before it was nothing to worry about, it was just a stupid nightmare I have them all the time.. I should be use to them by now, perhaps it's the stress I've had lately"  
  
"If that's what it is, then try and do more relaxing things, but please tell me your problems after all I am your brother and we need to stick together through thick and thin...no secrets, okay?"  
  
"Okay Rick, no secrets.. I promise"  
  
He smiled and sat down next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her. Jonathan came back inside closing the door behind him and handed her the tea to calm her nerves. Suddenly Evelyn burst into the room with a look of worry and anger on her face...something wasn't right.  
  
"Rick, Jonathan! I need to have a word with you both...now!" she said sternly.  
  
"Okay Evie, we're all ears...do tell" Jonathan said calmly  
  
"I called David a moment ago as you know and the worker who answered said that David had taken a trip to Cairo the same day we did, plus he didn't call or telegram here to Cairo...to top it off he never told me he was coming! and now who is going to be in charge of the museum?" Evelyn said frantically  
  
"Evelyn, I'm sure one of your employees will fill in for you...so don't worry" Rick said tranquilly  
  
"But Rick, David is in Cairo!! The book, remember what he told us back in London...you don't just leave your job from one day to the next without saying anything unless you have a reason to do so" Evelyn said furiously.  
  
Noticing that they were now in their own world of things she wasn't familiar with at all or at least she thought she wasn't familiar with she stood up and excused herself from the room. But they didn't hear her. She walked downstairs to get some air. The night was cool and the sound of camels and conversations could still be heard all around. Angela loved Cairo and all of Egypt for that matter, a part of her seemed to belong here and yearned to stay forever.  
  
"Thank you so much god for letting me be reunited with Rick, thank you for saving my life these many times and thank you for having me live this life of adventure which I so much love" she said as she walked out of the fort and into an alley.  
  
"Don't thank god just yet" a voice said from behind her.  
  
Angela's eyes became wide as she looked around her. She turned to face the direction in which she had came and saw the silhouette of a man walking towards her slowly. She slowly backed away suddenly tripping on her own feet and landing on her rear end with a thud. Trying to get up swiftly, the figure held out his hand to her, much to her surprise. In her mind Angela had actually thought that this guy was going to shoot her or something, but when he leaned into the moonlight out from the shadows she instantly recognized it.  
  
"Anton! you idiot! don't you ever scare me like that! the least you could do was tell me who you were so I wouldn't run or have a heart attack doing it...but anyway how did you find me? and why are you doing here?"  
  
"First of all Lewis as you may have guessed is looking for you he sent all of us out to find you and he said we had to bring you back no matter what...trust me on this one he's gone completely insane! he's capable of doing anything to get you back at this point...get out of Cairo as fast as you can and leave no traces of where you've gone too"  
  
"Anton, I can't leave just yet... I found my brother and now I'm not leaving unless it's with him. Lewis can't do anything now that I'm with him...I have someone who can back me up" Angela said happily.  
  
"I can't believe it....but how did you find him?"  
  
"I don't know it just happened I can't even explain it right now but it did... he's with his girlfriend and her brother, both are extremely nice and I know we'll all be the best of friends"  
  
Anton smiled softly "I'm very happy for you, but please I ask you leave if you ever want to be truly free"  
  
"Thank you for the advice Anton...I'm grateful at least you aren't like them, I owe you so much but after all of this why are your working for Lewis?"  
  
"Uh, I um well, I uh owe him a favor or two like paying for my debts and getting my family out of the misery they were living in... for that he's taken advantage and uses me to hurt you, which I'm not about to do...I know this means I'll be killed later on because well, it's treason but at least I saved you or will die trying"  
  
"I'll be all right and so will you, so don't be so apprehensive...and thank you so much"  
  
She then hugged him tightly as he did also. "I love you, Anton and now I have to go...be careful I will see you again soon.. I promise.. goodbye" she said as she turned and walked out of the alley.  
  
"Good bye Angela" he said softly as she disappeared around the wall.  
  
Walking back to the fort Angela thought about what Anton had just told her. She did worry about what Lewis was capable of doing....even if he was scared of everything else, he did have his men to do the job for him. A flashback of being locked up inside a dark, dank room in Lewis' house suddenly came back her...the remembrance of the all the odd noises in the room and how pitch black it was...her screaming and Lewis telling her how she was never going to leave. Nervously laughing it off, she shook her head slowly and continued on her way back to the fort not noticing two cloaked figures who had just walked past her.  
  
Meanwhile Anton continued down the alley smiling at the thought that Angela was finally going to be happy for once in her life. Looking down at his watch he saw 10:45pm...Lewis was going to want to know why he was out so late. Suddenly he stopped though at the sound of footsteps behind him, everything had gone silent, deathly silent. He turned to look behind him but nothing was there...he was alone.  
  
"This is odd, I could've sworn I heard footsteps behind me, I'm so paranoid that now I'm hearing things... there is no one else there!" he said somewhat nervously trying to make himself sound brave and fearless.  
  
He turned back around and was about to start walking again when he found two figures in dark cloaks standing in front of him, how they had gotten there he didn't know nor did he want to. The moon had grown to a full circle... how odd he thought, now casting long eerie shadows in front of them not only that but it appeared to Anton that their hands were somewhat....crippled and....decomposing.  
  
"Good evening, how can I help you?" Anton asked  
  
"Well since you ask you could help us by giving us your internal organs that's how you can help us" the shorter of the two figures said.  
  
"What!! oh you must be joking...yes that is seriously a horrible joke and I must be going now" Anton responded fearfully.  
  
"What's the hurry?" the figure said as he took a step towards him.  
  
Anton turned and without another thought, ran towards the alley entrance trying hard not to slow down his pace. But all of a sudden he felt his legs get dragged backwards... suddenly he realized he was being dragged by some invisible force and as his body whirled around he saw that he was heading straight toward the two figures!! Then the pain started, the burning searing pain that he could feel deep in his bones, all he could do was scream, but those screams were blacked out by death's blanket of darkness and utter non existence.  
  
*~~~Hotel Stack...Downtown Cairo~~~*  
  
"Where is Anton?! he was suppose to be with you, Vinnie!!! where is he?!.. that incompetent moron must have found her and told her about us... well I'll just make sure he doesn't make it through alive" Lewis was saying frantically as he paced through out the room.  
  
"Lewis, Anton was with me but he managed to see Angela and told me to follow her...which I did but come to think of it I never actually saw her, I will find Angela I promise you that" Vinnie responded sternly.  
  
"You better Vinnie, you better, if I lose Angela both you and Anton will wish you were never born and that goes for all of you!!!" Lewis shouted angrily.  
  
"We get you Lewis, don't worry we will find her before she leaves Cairo, from what we've found so far she hasn't left the city by any means, apparently she thinks you won't ever find her...she's mocking you Lewis, are you going to let her do that?" the leader of the henchmen said straightforwardly with somewhat a tone of sarcasm.  
  
" Of course not you fool, when I find her, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind, because no one mocks Lewis Calabar and walks away laughing...I always win and this time it won't be any different than the others"  
  
"We will resume the search tomorrow at dawn with or without Anton" the leader signaled the others and everyone stood up and silently exited the room leaving Lewis alone.  
  
"I will look for you myself and I guarantee that I will find you even if I have to go to the ends of the earth, but I will find you and you will regret messing with me" he spoke to himself as he looked out of his hotel room overlooking the city of Cairo.. the city that was a bit mysterious both in appearance and in history.  
  
*~~~Back at Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
Nights in Cairo were cold compared to the sweltering heat of the day...yes this country was a strange yet beautiful one. Angela had stopped at the fountain in the middle of the garden that was located in the center of the fort. The low, exotic scent of the flowers was rising all around her and along with the water trickling from the fountain it was set for a relaxing mood. Looking up at Rick's quarters she could see the three's shadows walking by the window talking to one another. From her mind she swore they were arguing or just being melodramatic, honestly she couldn't tell.  
  
"Hmm, I'm tired, damn but Jonathan has the key to the room...oh well guess I have to barge in" she thought as she stood up.  
  
While walking up the staircase she could hear their voices getting ever so loud. They were arguing. Slowly opening the door she peered in to find them all in different sides of the room yelling at one another. At that instant they saw her appear and the room went silent...and they all smiled at her in unison.  
  
"Uh, Hi couldn't help but wonder what you guys were arguing about, sounds serious from your tone of voices" Angela asked curiously.  
  
"Oh we were just arguing about...uh David's irresponsibility and how Evelyn should fire him, that's all" Rick said nervously  
  
"Oh okay, well I just wanted to ask Jonathan for the keys to his room...since I'm extremely tired" Angela responded.  
  
"Here are the keys Angela, you remember where the room is right? because if you don't I'll take you" Jonathan said tranquilly.  
  
"No it's ok I'll go by myself, thanks anyway, and good night Rick" she said as she took the keys from Jonathan...she then hugged Rick tightly.  
  
Letting him go she bid everyone good night and walked back to Jonathan's quarters.  
  
"Isn't she the most amazing person" Jonathan said softly.  
  
"Yes Jonathan she is...she really is" Rick said with a grin.  
  
Shutting the door behind her Angela let out a sigh of happiness or was it relief. The room was dark, only a beam of moonlight showed through the shutter. The world seemed so beautiful this night even with the events of the afternoon. Smiling to herself she walked over to an oil lamp and lit it, and with it came the eerie shadows of the objects in the room which became more prominent, scary to be precise. After turning on all the lamps, the room seemed to be filled with sunlight which was a good thing since to her darkness was death in disguise, it was a weird philosophy of hers that she had developed in Lewis' home while being locked up in the room with no light source of any kind.  
  
"Time to sleep, this is what I've desired for so long" she said aloud, relieved to finally sleep in a comfortable room.  
  
Putting on her nightdress she suddenly had another flashback this time: she was standing in the middle of a plaza it seemed and looking around she saw a large crowd of people watching her and chanting once more: Angela then looked up at the altar to see Imhotep and all his priests looking down on her with cold, stern eyes. Still she didn't know what was going on at least not until she looked down at herself and saw what she was wearing.  
  
There was a great moment of silence and then the drums slowly started to beat, flutes played and chimes rang softly.  
  
"Isiria, dance for us, let Osiris bless us with his glory, dance for all of us" Imhotep said  
  
Angela looked around and saw everyone staring at her and worst she looked up high above her where the palace balcony was located and saw what appeared to be a Pharaoh, his daughter, and his mistress looking down upon her with commanding eyes. Looking back she saw Imhotep looking her up and down questionably. Then without another thought she started dancing, her feet softly hitting on cold stone floor, she was giving herself up to the happiness of this dance, offering her art as an offering for Osiris, she felt very much alive and joy filled every inch of her body. Today was a very special day. She was dancing in the great plaza, as part of the festival. The dance came to an end and she was on her knees in front of the statue of Osiris, eyes to the floor, arms lifted up in invocation. She was breathing heavily from the exertion, her chest rising up and down. She slowly raised her eyes, and encountered the mysterious dark eyes of Imhotep, the High Priest of Osiris. He looked down at her, his lips curving into a slight smile. He extended his hand to her as an offering and she took it letting him pull her to her feet. Suddenly though she felt it hard to breathe. For a small moment they both stood there staring at one another, an eternity that she wanted to last forever. Then he smiled fully and slowly let go of her hand.  
  
"Your dancing pleases Osiris greatly, what is your name? "  
  
She opened her mouth and found it hard to make a sound suddenly. "Angela" she said forcefully, feeling her breath escaping her "My name is Angela"  
  
"That is not your name!! " he shouted suddenly  
  
"What?!! it is!" Angela's heart froze.  
  
Before she knew what had happened Angela found herself laying on an altar... hands and feet shackled and manacled. She squirmed violently and tried to pull herself up but to no avail. Looking around she saw that she was in the temple of Osiris, torches flickering in the whispering wind. Priests were kneeled on the ground below her and they sounded like monks chanting Celtic songs, hauntingly grotesque and surreal. As she continued to struggle she heard footsteps behind her looking up she found Imhotep standing above her.  
  
"What are you doing?" Angela asked fearfully.  
  
He didn't say anything instead he leaned down and kissed her suddenly. Standing tall he took out a golden dagger.  
  
"Now with your death, the gods will finally remove this curse and I shall see Isiria once more!"  
  
Angela let out a bone chilling scream as he plunged the dagger down into her chest.  
  
Instantly her eyes shot open, gasping for air she sat up and looked around trying really hard not to have a panic attack. Dreams come true she knew that in her mind but what about nightmares? she suddenly felt a chill go up her back... had it been a vision of some sort? Angela slowly glanced around the room, suddenly realizing it was morning and Jonathan was sitting on a chair fast asleep.  
  
"Oh Jonathan, you didn't have to" she thought as she climbed out of the bed and opened the shudders letting the cool morning breeze blow in.  
  
Looking outside Angela saw soldiers walking the parapets, outlining against every turret. As the breeze drifted in the open window the sounds of flutes and tambourines came along with it bringing back the images of the Casbah into Angela's mind. Then the breeze grew colder and she turned to walk towards the bed. The foreign music seemed to be beckoning her to dance, it's compelling rhythm calling to her. Closing her eyes she slowly started to feel something seeping into her soul, a feeling of sudden remembrance came, the music sounded so familiar ...she had heard it before, not only in her dream but some other place that she couldn't remember. Without another thought she danced following every beat of the music. Reality shut out and she was taken into a new world. Twirling around she felt free and liberal, but in a flash she was thrown back to reality by the feeling of two arms around her waist. Looking behind her she found Jonathan smiling slightly at her.  
  
"Can I join you?" he asked softly  
  
Angela blushed trying really hard not to giggle with embarrassment. "Why yes of course you can dance with me"  
  
"Well, let's see where shall we start?" Jonathan asked playfully.  
  
"How about a waltz?" she responded timidly.  
  
"Very well a waltz it will be"  
  
Taking her hand into his and finally getting into their positions, they started to dance around the room, occasionally knocking down something as they waltz faster and faster. Both having the time of their lives, laughing if something fell or if one almost tripped.  
  
"Slow down!" Angela exhausted from the dance  
  
"Slow down? but why? this is quite fun!" Jonathan was saying jubilantly  
  
As they continued on Angela suddenly tripped and stumbled on a fallen vase, but Jonathan managed to catch her before she fell. Looking up she found herself looking into Jonathan's eyes their lips almost touching one another's. They remained in that position for what seemed to be an eternity and Jonathan was trying to fight the temptation, the temptation to take her and passionately kiss her. After staring at him for awhile Angela laughed childishly only to wince in pain as she straightened herself out... her ankle was twisted.  
  
"I guess this means we won't be having another dance" Jonathan said sadly.  
  
"I guess not, I'm sorry...ow! oh damn I need to sit down"  
  
They slowly walked over and sat down on the bed. Taking a good at her ankle Angela sighed and shook her head. Pain was something she was used to and this was nothing compared to everything she had gone through. Now Jonathan kneeled down in front of her and gently rubbed his hands over and around her ankle.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked  
  
"Trying to fix your ankle, after getting hurt so many times I've managed to learn how to put a bone back into place" he responded somewhat coyly.  
  
"You don't seem like the type of...ow!! person who would get into brawls...why do people hurt you? ow!!!"  
  
"Well to tell you the truth it's usually because I have a tendency to get drunk and play poker.. and lose....it's not a pretty picture, believe me"  
  
"Well Jonathan, I'm going to help you out with that problem"  
  
"I think you already did" Jonathan said low enough for her not to hear.  
  
"So Jonathan, what is my brother like? I mean you've known him more than I do"  
  
"Well let's see, O'Connell is simply the type of guy who shoots first asks questions later, sweet yet tough, that's all I can say...there I think your ankle is set"  
  
Gently moving her ankle Angela smiled and hugged him unexpectedly.  
  
"What was that for?" Jonathan asked surprised  
  
"It's my way of saying thank you for everything, that's all...now I think we better start cleaning up this small mess, how about that?"  
  
"Fine with me"  
  
*~~~Rick and Evie's Quarters~~~*  
  
"Rick come on!! we mustn't be late after all breakfast is only served at 9:20 downstairs in the officer's mess!" Evelyn was saying frantically. "We must hurry!"  
  
"Evelyn, it's only 8:45 we have more than enough time and if we do miss it for any reason then...uh well, then tough luck we'll have to wait until dinner" Rick said carelessly.  
  
"I don't know about you Mr. O'Connell, but I am going to eat"  
  
"Well then we'll meet you down there...save us a table"  
  
"Fine" she said  
  
"Fine" he said  
  
Evelyn marched out of the room and after two seconds she opened the door. "Fine!"  
  
Rick grinned and shook his head suddenly remembering the similar incident had happened. At least this time he hadn't gotten hit or smacked. As he walked on over for the door it swiftly swung open smacking him in the face with a slam. Cursing and stumbling backwards he looked back to see Evelyn standing by the door giving him an innocent look.  
  
"O Rick I'm sorry...I forgot to ask...have you noticed anything different while we've been here?"  
  
"Evelyn, we've only been here for one damn day...no of course I haven't seen anything, gees and next time please open the door a bit softer, would you?"  
  
"Of course, I'll remember, anyway I'm going to go get Jonathan and we'll meet you downstairs"  
  
Shutting the door softly behind her she walked down the hallway towards Jonathan's quarters. The day had started out quite nicely and it seemed that it was going to remain so, but to Evelyn something was missing she knew something was odd...and she thought about it.  
  
"There has been a murder....a grotesque murder! a man in the alley! dead and dried!" a young boy was shouting desperately.  
  
There was the answer to her thoughts...maybe this wasn't going to be a calm day after all.  
  
Chapter 8....  
  
*~~~Still in Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
Evelyn watched as some soldiers ran out of the fort in a hurry. Something told her to follow them and she immediately ran downstairs and outside of the fort. It was not too hard to find the soldiers, there was a huge crowd of people surrounding them looking in horror at whatever it was. Murder was common in these parts of Cairo with thieves and fake-mummy makers, they were always on the prowl looking for prey. Pushing some people aside, Evelyn peered over the soldiers and saw the body of a young man completely sucked dry of all bodily fluids, a burnt husk of only skin and bones. The eyes and tongue had been removed as well, it looked as if it was still silently screaming for help in agony and Evelyn gasped before looking away.  
  
"Oh my god, it can't be, his first victim, who was he?" Evelyn murmured.  
  
"Okay everyone back off, there is nothing more to see here" a soldier shouted in both English and Arabic.  
  
Without another thought Evelyn ran back to the fort as fast as she could, this was too hard to believe...why was this happening again? and where were the other plagues? Running into the officer's mess she found Angela, Rick and Jonathan merrily talking, laughing and having breakfast unaware that she had just barged into the room. Not even the soldiers seemed to notice.  
  
"So I said to her "oh come on mom the worst that could possibly happen is Angela falling out of the car" Rick was saying tranquilly.  
  
"Ya and when you stuck half my body out of our car, dad hit you about seven times for doing so" Angela said giggling at the thought.  
  
"Now I see where you two get your toughness" Jonathan added.  
  
"Rick, I need to speak with you urgently...you too Jonathan." Evelyn suddenly interrupted.  
  
"Uh, ok and you can't tell us here...why?" Rick asked questionably  
  
"It has something to do with a mummy we saw last year at a certain dig site"  
  
"Oh...oohh! um okay Jonathan let's go, Angela why don't we meet you in the plaza in about twenty minutes, okay?" Rick said.  
  
"Um ok, I was about to leave anyway... I'll meet you guys there" Angela said as she stood and walked out, disappearing into the hallway leading to the stables.  
  
Walking into the garden that was located in the center of the fort the trio stopped and looked around to make sure no one was looking.  
  
"So what happened, Evelyn?" Rick asked sternly  
  
"Rick, I just saw a corpse, it's bodily fluids were sucked dry and it had no eyes or tongue...it was Imhotep's first victim....the body...it's in the alley, it's so horrible, Rick we need to stop him before other people get involved!" Evelyn said urgently.  
  
"Oh damn, did you manage to find out who it was?"  
  
"No, the soldiers were there I really couldn't get near it at all" Evelyn said.  
  
"We have to find out who he was and who was with him, we may just be able to save those people before Imhotep gets to them" Rick said seriously.  
  
"Follow me " she said as they took glances at each other.  
  
Slowly peering from behind a pillar Angela stepped out cautiously and watched them leave.  
  
"They're hiding something from me, but what? I'm going to follow them. I need to know why the hell they're acting so oddly" she said to herself as she slowly walked out, keeping her distance as she trailed their moves.  
  
"There! there where the crowd is...that's where the body is located" Evelyn pointed out.  
  
Making their way through the crowd they could hear people murmuring and talking about the body and how it could have been a demon or a spirit who had whisked him away, well the trio knew better... that it was a combination of both plus more. The soldiers had left temporarily to get a stretcher so no one was guarding the body.  
  
"Evie, we really need to find Imhotep...I can't believe this I'm such a bloody idiot, I dropped the book and now we don't have any weapon". Jonathan suddenly said frustratingly.  
  
"Jonathan, it's ok don't blame yourself, we will find other means to stop Imhotep, we did last year, we will this year" Evelyn said reassuringly  
  
"I take it this is the guy" Rick said as he kneeled down by the body giving it a look of disgust and worry.  
  
"Noooo!! Anton!" a voice screamed from behind them.  
  
Jonathan and Evelyn looked up in unison to find Angela standing a few feet away from them. Horror and disbelief were spread across Angela's face, she couldn't believe what she was seeing at that moment. It was all a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from, seeing the body or what was left of Anton's body...how could this have happened? Rick looked up at her in utter shock not knowing what to say or do, instead he only stood up. Angela was frozen in place, eyes wide open, face as pale as a ghost. The silent crowd stared at her in wonder as if they were seeing a beautiful deity of some sort, she was gorgeous.  
  
"By Allah, it is Isiria, the temple dancer of Osiris, it was foretold that she would return and she is here, she really is here!" a woman said in Arabic  
  
"Isiria,is back from the dead! she has came back, came back from the dead....she has came back in search of her lost love that she left behind so many years ago" another man responded.  
  
Angela kneeled down beside Anton's body and cried uncontrollably not caring that mostly everyone was watching her and saying things about her. Rick kneeled down beside her and held her in his arms tightly, consoling her as  
  
she cried.  
  
"No-it-can't-be-Anton-it-can't-be" Angela was stuttering.  
  
"Angela, I'm so sorry, I'm so very sorry" Rick whispered softly  
  
"Who could have done this to him? who could have been so malicious?" Angela said sadly.  
  
"I, I don't know, but who ever it was they're going to pay for it, I assure you...we'll stop them"  
  
Suddenly a group of soldiers appeared from behind them barging in through the crowd. Guns in hand they suddenly aimed at both Angela and Rick who suddenly looked up in surprise.  
  
"You two, what are you doing?" one soldier asked in a commanding tone.  
  
Rick stood up and with head held high he stared at the soldiers silently, some how he wished he had his gun or something to defend himself with, he knew this wasn't a good thing from the looks on their faces.  
  
"I will ask you again, what are you two doing?" the soldier asked.  
  
"What does it look like we're doing?....we're mourning the loss of my sister's friend" Rick said coldly.  
  
"You knew this man?" the soldier asked Angela, who was staring at the corpse almost in a trance.  
  
"Miss.....hello?"  
  
Rick tapped Angela on the shoulder causing her to jump. Whirling around she looked at the soldier with reddened eyes. The young soldiers eyes became wide, awestruck by her beauty and innocence that her features expressed, they had never seen anyone such as her in all their lives.  
  
"Yes, I knew him, he was a good friend of mine, his name was Anton Laramen he was twenty-six years old, uh, I last saw him last night precisely here in this alley at ten thirty-five" Angela said blankly.  
  
"About ten minutes later he was killed...did you see anything or do anything? !"another soldier interrupted rudely.  
  
Rick glared at the soldier angrily trying really hard to fight the urge to punch him. Angela though didn't do the same, without saying a word she walked right up to the soldier and gave him a sharp right jab in the jaw, the punch dropped him to the ground with a thud.  
  
"What gives you the right to blame me? you haven't even investigated you moron! next time I recommend you watch your words because if you blame me once more like that, I swear I won't just punch you like just now" Angela snapped at him.  
  
The soldier sat on the ground rubbing his jaw, not quite unconscious, Rick stepped in front of Angela and looked down at the soldier with a half smile.  
  
"I don't think threats and injuries are productive, at this point" Rick said in a reasonable, intelligent, yet scornful tone of voice.  
  
"Well, then tell that idiot to measure his words" Angela said furiously.  
  
"This idiot, is private Mark Rennes and if I were you I wouldn't insult an officer or injure him for that matter, you could be arrested you know" the soldier said sternly.  
  
"and if I were you I'd shut up before someone hurts you" Rick responded coldly.  
  
"Like who?....you?" Mark asked.  
  
"Perhaps, if the occasion calls for it"  
  
The situation suddenly stiffened and grew tenser by the second. Seeing this, Jonathan suddenly walked up to Angela and put his hand on her shoulder, catching the eye of Mark who smiled arrogantly.  
  
"Looks like the broad has her share of protection" Mark said tauntingly  
  
"I protect myself, no one protects me" Angela snapped dryly "I don't need men to defend me...unlike you"  
  
The younger soldier finally interrupted.  
  
"Mark, I mean, private, don't be so rude with them, the girl is right...we need to look over the entire scene and stuff not to mention contact the police, we can't just blame people"  
  
"Christian, our job is to do the right thing as well as taking care of fort business, don't question or comment my actions". Mark said sternly  
  
"You're just intimidated by me, Mark,...admit it I injured your manly pride". Angela said harshly  
  
"and you know what? I'm about fed up with you, men take these three back to the fort we need to teach them the proper way to respect soldiers"  
  
As the soldiers walked towards Rick, Angela and Jonathan, the crowd ambushed them with such a fury that it took everyone by surprise. The people were using anything they could get their hands on. Yelling and cursing in Arabic. As this was happening Christian signaled Jonathan, Rick, Angela and Evelyn to follow him down an alleyway, making sure that they were going the right direction. In the distance the group could still hear the crowd shouting "You will never hurt Isiria, you will not touch her!"  
  
'My god, what just happened back there?" Angela asked astonished at the events.  
  
"It appears that you have become quite an idol to these people, they were defending you..... you're their guardian or some supernatural being to them, it's odd yet spectacular in a way" Christian responded somewhat amazed.  
  
"What I find weird is that they were calling me Isiria". Angela said confused... remembering her encounter with Imhotep.  
  
"Perhaps we should do some research on Isiria...we may just get a clue to this whole mystery" Evelyn said excitingly at the thought of going to the museum.  
  
"I'm with Evelyn, come one let's go" said Angela as she ran down the alleyway towards the museum, everyone looked at one another and ran behind her.  
  
*~~~Marketplace, Cairo~~~*  
  
"The things I have to do for money, meddling with all these commoners, frankly I don't know why I put up with Angela's actions...I should just lock her up like I use to...at least that way she couldn't get away from me" Lewis said frustratingly.  
  
"Well, Mr. Calabar as soon as we get her back you'll be able to control her like old times" the henchman said.  
  
"Yes, you're right, Vlad, you are so right"  
  
"So now where to?" Vlad asked  
  
"Why don't we go to the Museum of Antiquities I hear it's a very interesting place to see artifacts from Ancient Egypt, who knows maybe I'll see something worth it"  
  
"As you wish Lewis, we're going to the museum...I don't see why you want to go...you've never liked stuff like that"  
  
"Well Vlad, maybe my honest and very noble fiancée decided to stop and drop her artifacts off and left a clue as to where she may have left to, or maybe we may just run into her" Lewis said reassuringly  
  
"Oh come on there is no way in hell we'll run into Angela at the museum.. don't torture yourself, that run in would have to be an extremely big coincidence or act of fate,no way, no how, it ain't happening.. it's just not that easy" Vlad responded.  
  
Sighing Lewis said "Ya you're right...you know what? let's not go to the museum let's go have a few drinks and a few women while we're at it"  
  
"Now you're talking, that sounds great....I'm sure we'll have a good time"  
  
*~~~Entrance of Museum~~~*  
  
The massive Museum of Antiquities loomed in front of them, palm trees out in front swaying in the morning breeze, Egyptian warrior statues standing tall...guarding double front doors where seconds later Angela and the rest of the group walked through. Walking inside towards the curators office to ask for permission to do research, they rounded a corner and in the gallery to their right there stood Ardeth Bay and not alone...behind him was the curator of the museum.  
  
"You!" everyone said in an echoing chorus of surprise.  
  
Ardeth merely smiled, something very rare, but his expression suddenly changed at the sight of Angela, he glared at her as she did back to him.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" Ardeth asked angrily pulling out his scimitar.  
  
Everyone backed away in shock. Looking behind, Rick and Jonathan saw Angela was missing. Looking back at Ardeth Bay they realized it had been her who he had been talking to. Now running towards the hallway he barged his way through a few exhibits before Rick finally blocked his way.  
  
"Wait! hold on a second, how do you know my sister? where did you meet?" he asked.  
  
"O'Connell let me go! I have to finish her off!" Ardeth shouted infuriatingly.  
  
"No way! before you kill my sister you'll have to get through me pal, what did she do?"  
  
"She read from The Book of the Dead...she has released Imhotep once again! now let me go!"  
  
The room went dead silent all of a sudden. Rick's face had gone pale as a sheet not something very easy for him to turn to.  
  
"What did you say?" Rick asked sternly  
  
"Your sister has awaken Imhotep just like this woman awoke him last year, what luck the two women in your life have released the same man or should I say demon that will destroy the world if not stopped soon" Ardeth said sarcastically.  
  
Evelyn looked away embarrassed at the reminder of what had happened the year before. She could feel her face burning up and she quickly walked out of the room at that moment.  
  
Blaming is an essential thing in life, we need to blame people for our errors. It's a fact of life.....you do something, you immediately blame someone else. Humans tend to do this to get off of the hook and look like the innocent one, but there comes a time when you blame a person you'll still get in trouble because no one person is to blame for one thing..... that's life and possibly death.  
  
Jonathan ran out of the room after seeing the commotion between Rick and Ardeth, and was now searching for Angela throughout the museum.  
  
"Angela!.....Angela! where are you? it's ok to come out....I'm alone! come on Angela please come out!" he called out  
  
Slowly walking into an exhibition room he realized there was an eerie silence all around him. He knew this happened frequently especially being in a sprawling turn-of-the-century building where room after room was lined with the coffins of kings, their embalmed bodies exposed to view. He moved through the connecting room into the area where treasures and other artifacts from the Middle Kingdom were on display, the room had no windows and the gas lighting was subdued flickery, throwing shadows, making a haunted house of the museum. Suddenly he heard a muffling sound behind him, whirling around he found Angela standing behind a sarcophagus that was standing upright.  
  
"My god, don't scare me like that!" Jonathan said uneasily while putting his hand on his chest trying not to hyperventilate.  
  
"I'm sorry, no one else is here right?" Angela asked softly.  
  
"No one is here other than me, don't worry if you don't want anyone to know you're here I won't tell anyone, but tell me...why did you run out of the room?" he asked as he sat down on the edge of a display.  
  
Angela sat next to him "Ardeth Bay, wants to kill me"  
  
"Well, why is that?"  
  
"Remember how I told you guys about the dig I had been on? well he and a bunch of other warriors ambushed the group I was with, I managed to get away but barely because he almost slice me up...I can't believe this...why is he here?" Angela was saying giddily.  
  
Shaking his head Jonathan said "Oh god no, but why? the Med Jai...Angela, by any chance did your group happen to find anything?"  
  
"Like what?" Angela asked  
  
Suddenly Rick's voice called out "Jonathan! where are you?! have you found Angela yet?"  
  
Angela's eyes became wide as she looked over at Jonathan in horror. Standing up she said "Please Jonathan, don't tell Rick I'm here....please"  
  
"I won't I told you already that I wouldn't and I'm keeping my promise...I'll tell him I haven't found you yet.. ok?" he said reassuringly  
  
Rick's footsteps were heard coming up the stairs towards the gallery. "Jonathan have you found Angela or not?"  
  
"Uh, um, no I haven't I'm still looking for her! I think she went back to the fort" he said as he looked into Angela's desperate eyes that pleaded with him.  
  
The footsteps didn't stop though they kept on coming "Are you sure? I need to have a talk with her, if she's there she better come over...now...so I recommend you don't lie to me because if you do Angela won't be the only one getting yelled at or worse"  
  
"I'm positive, she's not here!"  
  
Frantically looking around Angela looked over at an open sarcophagus that had the lid slid off to the side. Immediately she jumped into it and struggling pulled the lid on with Jonathan's help leaving a crack so air could seep in enough for her to breathe. Just as Rick walked in Jonathan turned around and gave him a skittish smile.  
  
"Hello O'Connell...smashing displays aren't they?" Jonathan said giddishly.  
  
"Ya, smashing...where is my sister? I have a feeling you know where she is and you don't want to tell me"  
  
"I wouldn't lie to you O'Connell, she's not here...have a look if you want"  
  
That he did, peeking around corners, lifting things, and opening doors he searched for Angela calling out her name, but no response came from any of his calls. Looking back he saw Jonathan sitting on a sarcophagus, the only thing he hadn't checked.  
  
"Get off" Rick said sternly  
  
"You can't be serious why would she hide in a sarcophagus? I mean no way, especially with the risk of suffocation and having the feeling of being buried alive...she's not in there!"  
  
"Well, we'll just have to see about that...now won't we" Rick said suspiciously.  
  
Rick then yanked Jonathan off of the sarcophagus and took upon himself to try and lift the lid of the coffin. As he did the curator walked in" What do you think you're doing! put that thing down!" he shouted angrily.  
  
Instantly Rick dropped the lid onto the sarcophagus closing it entirely much to the shock of Jonathan who managed to hear Angela scream.  
  
"What are you doing, sir?" the curators asked demandingly.  
  
"Uh, I was looking for my sister"  
  
"In a sarcophagus? well that's rich"  
  
"I'm telling you I think she's in there! just let me check...please!"  
  
"Are you kidding? we're leaving the sarcophagus closed, I'm not opening it because of a ridiculous hunch...it's too priceless to disturb"  
  
"But I-"  
  
"No buts! oh and your girlfriend would like to have a talk with you, as well as the warrior"  
  
"Oh fine....Jonathan come on" Rick said  
  
"Uh I can't, I have to check up on something...I'll catch up with you later" Jonathan replied.  
  
"What do you plan on doing?"  
  
"Keep looking for Angela of course"  
  
"Uh huh, ok I'll see you later" Rick said as the curator and him walked out of the gallery.  
  
Immediately Jonathan rushed over and tried with all his strength to open the lid but to no avail, it was too heavy. He could hear Angela's screams of desperation inside as well as her hands and legs banging on the lid. The air inside wouldn't last long and in a few moments hysteria would set in, something eventually leading up to death or self mutilation...though neither one was worse than the other. From inside, Angela could see nothing but darkness and hear Jonathan's muffled voice talking to her desperately, trying to keep her in reality and not having her black out. Now seeing that he couldn't slide the lid open she gave a hard thrust with her legs and it budged...a sense of relief went through her and putting all her strength into her legs, slammed the lid hard enough that it popped open. Jonathan managed to slide it off with a bit of her help of kicking it. Climbing out she fell to her knees gasping for air unable to speak, only a few words.  
  
"Rick-is-in-so-much trouble...I'm definitely-giving him-a piece of my mind" Angela said exhaustedly.  
  
"He didn't know you were in there, why get yourself in trouble? the most important thing is that we got you out of that thing...next time just make a run for it, it's so much more simpler and less life risking" Jonathan said trying not to sound lecturish.  
  
"Yes I know....I'll make sure of that, come on, let's go.. I don't want to be here anymore"  
  
"Very well, oh why don't we get a drink...that'll calm your nerves"  
  
"No thanks let's just go back to the fort ok? I'm suddenly not in the mood for anything...I think I'm going to sleep"  
  
"Ok then let's go...but not through the front entrance let's go through the back" Jonathan said as he took her hand into his and they slowly walked down to the back entrance of the museum.  
  
Downstairs directly beneath them Rick and the rest of the group was having a discussion with Ardeth Bey and the curator, Hanan Dmoen.  
  
"I'm telling you, you have the wrong girl...my sister never did anything like that...I doubt she even knows how to read hieroglyphics, so case closed ...she did nothing, you just scared her with your shouting and your weaponry... that's all" Rick said positively.  
  
"But then again she could have ran off if she feared a secret would be discovered" Hanan said somewhat ticked off.  
  
Rick glared at him and stormed out angrily through the museum door without saying another word.  
  
"He didn't believe us, the fool is too blind by love to see that his sister is the cause of all of this" Hanan said sternly  
  
"We will have to somehow make him realize that she is guilty, we need to stop the creature and the only way we can is by killing her and getting the book" Ardeth Bey replied.  
  
"Couldn't have put it better myself" a voice said from behind.  
  
Ardeth and Hanan turned around to find Vinnie standing in the archway holding two guns. Smiling ever so innocently he walked closer to them. No one had ever expected anyone else had been spying after all...the museum hadn't  
  
even opened yet.  
  
"Who are you?" Hanan asked  
  
"The name is Vinnie Alaster and I couldn't help but hear that you are looking for a girl that seems to have the Book of the Dead in her possession...I'm looking for her too...you see she was with a friend of mine and I and she's very unstable so we need to have her returned to us so that we may take her to the proper specialist back in London" Vinnie said  
  
"Oh is that so, and could you tell us what her name is?"  
  
"Of course her name is Angela O'Connell...and like I said before I was with her on the dig near the famed Hamunaptra, she has the book...I saw her take it when she got away after the ambush ..it is urgent that I reach her, you don't know how dangerous she can become when not in good care, so the deal is we give you the artifacts and you give us Angela or we keep Angela and give you the artifacts ..it all depends on who finds her first"  
  
"Well then it appears we have the same person and we need to find her soon...the deal is on and you can count on us" Hanan replied  
  
"Yes, it appears we do and thank you....oh where is it possible, that I could find her?"  
  
"We don't know, but if you hurry you may catch up with her brother, you saw him didn't you?" Ardeth asked seriously.  
  
"Yes, of course I saw him, thank you so much and I'll make sure to keep in touch just to see if she shows up here or something, if you find her contact me...I am in Hotel Stack, here is the number" Vinnie said as he handed Hanan a card.  
  
Vinnie then ran out the door as fast as he could hoping to catch up with Rick. In the meantime Hanan and Ardeth had watched him go and gave themselves questionable looks. Walking over to one of the windows Hanan looked ahead at the road.  
  
"Follow him, Ardeth, and make sure you bring both him and the girl here...alive."  
  
Chapter 9....  
  
*~~~Back at Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"Well we're back, if you need anything I'll be downstairs in the library" Jonathan said helpfully.  
  
"OK, thank you, Jonathan" Angela responded calmly.  
  
He smiled and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him softly as he did. Angela sighed and walked over to the large mirror across the room and stood in front of it looking at her reflection, as she did though she heard a soft, hissing sound coming from the door. The reflection of the mirror revealed...sand streaming through the keyhole and down onto the floor, pouring like water from a faucet, making a small pile, then a larger one...like an hourglass getting out of hand. Angela couldn't help but just stare in wonder. When the sand had stopped streaming in, that dune, that mound began to form itself as if some invisible sculptor were fashioning a sand statue of a man, or a god, or in Angela's case something that was both and neither: Imhotep.  
  
Almost floating, in his dark robes, Imhotep went to the beautiful woman and like a prince meeting his princess he pulled Angela close, whispering "Isiria" and kissed her.. his mouth which met hers did so with the confidence and the voracious hunger of a panther who had been long denied the taste of flesh, his full lips and agile tongue mounting an expert and long assault, ardent as a demon from hell craving a taste of her soul and if given the chance...her body as well. His hand let go of hers to tangle in her long hair, drawing her closer, melding her body into his, while the other hand caressed her cheek, her shoulder and her hip with sultry fingertips.  
  
Angela felt their heat rising slowly through her clothing and in a sudden movement graceful even in it's urgency, Imhotep gathered her skirt up into careless folds, exposing her skin to the voluptuous contrasts of the cool air and his insistent touch, molding the muscles of her thigh. As he did this Angela moaned into his mouth, panic and fear melting in a heedless flow of pure arousal. She embraced him as she would a dream, shivering as he trailed his kisses up her neck to linger near her ear, softly speaking vows of passion and devotion in Egyptian, that she had heard many times before this, but couldn't remember exactly where or when.  
  
Inexperienced as Angela was, she somehow knew the passion of his touch; she'd felt it in a passage of a thousand longing nights, waking damp and tangled in her sheets, back when she was at the boarding school in London, her throat feeling buckled in a wordless sense of loss. She knew his scent, spiced and sweet as the incense from the Temple of Osiris. She knew his golden voice, rich and enigmatic. Somehow she also knew the name he whispered, lips and tongue grazing the sensitive skin of her neck once more to shape the syllables of a single phrase, transforming the word into a passionate kiss "Isiria". Whimpering she braced herself for his touch as she heard his voice murmur a hushed invocation inches from her ear, the words weighted with the soft tinge of an ancient magic. Angela immediately turned away afraid to meet his gaze...that gaze that she had seen in her dreams countless number of times, the dark flame which consumed her whole soul... that is when this dream ended abruptly.  
  
"You are.... a mortal? You are reborn?" he dropped her wrist, trapping her face between both hands forcing her to keep her frightened eyes locked on him. "Isiria, do you still not remember me?"  
  
Each word fell with the finality of the stone sarcophagus that had closed in on her, narrowing her options, to the one she did not want to choose.  
  
"Yes, of course...I, I remember you" Angela stammered realizing in terror that she had slipped into speaking English, she then quickly stumbled back into Egyptian at mid-sentence.  
  
He turned away from her for a moment and now whirling back around to confront her, he resolved his tormented face into a stone mask, though the look remaining in his eyes was enough to make Angela wonder if she could actually survive the leap from the balcony down to the floor below; his dark, piercing eyes had been less disturbing to her than this storm of raw fury and anguish. Imhotep moved too quickly for her to do more than wonder, suddenly trapping her shoulders in a grip of concrete...  
  
"What is your name? what is your real name?" he asked sternly  
  
She trembled violently and deciding on honesty as the best way to go her lips hesitantly gave shape to a resigned whisper "My name is....Angela"  
  
Imhotep intentionally raised his hand and Angela winced, expecting a painful slap. Instead he merely caressed her cheek, his palm cupping the soft flesh, thumb softly stroked away the tears from her face.  
  
"No, your name...your real name is Isiria, Do you understand me? soon you will remember, you will remember who you really are and you will remember who I am. You will remember that I love you with all my heart. I promise you that" He kissed her softly on the forehead smoothing the tousled hair away from her eyes and said "The Book of the Dead offers us a way".  
  
Angela's eyes became wide, she knew this white lie of hers would cost everyone big time in the end if she didn't solve it now...though she felt oddly familiar to his presence.  
  
"What? but how?" she asked curiously  
  
"The elixir of remembrance, the ingredients are in the book, it will bring back your memories of your past when you were my one true love and when the world was so much more peaceful, you will see"  
  
"No, I-"  
  
"Don't speak, just listen to what I have to tell you...once I have fulfilled this curse, you and I will remain on this earth to love one another for eternity"  
  
"But-"  
  
"The only way we can do this is by making you immortal and we can with the spell" he said as he caused the book to appear in midair right in front of them.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Your mind told me where it was...now come on we are going to find the fools who dared to enter Hamunaptra"  
  
Up until that point, Angela had truly believed that she had reached a sort of terror brink, a boundary beyond which fear could not increase or decrease. As he gathered her into the circle of his arms once again, she realized that her former fear was really.... only the beginning.  
  
*~~~Library in Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
Jonathan wondered and wondered about one thing "Why had Angela really run away? What was she really hiding?"  
  
He had been trying to read a book he had just found: "Romeo and Juliet"...to be precise. But something inside of him wouldn't stop gnawing at his mind, he knew it was bad, what was it though?...Standing up he walked towards the window and looked outside, everything seemed tranquil. Turning back he heard a low humming sound, coming from a distance, the buzzing, building drone that was streaming in from the desert as if a plane were swooping somewhere out there, only as time went by, the sound was more piercing...more of a whine. And then whatever it was became incredibly, dreadfully apparent, as a living cloud of locust descended upon the fort enveloping everything and everyone.  
  
"Oh no! Angela!"  
  
Jonathan tried to open the door soldiers instead bolted inside knocking him to the ground with a thud. Slamming the door behind them they were all in quite a bit of shock. Jonathan stood up to find Mark and Christian and two other soldiers standing there shaking the locusts off.  
  
"What are you doing in here?!" Mark said surprised.  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing you bloody moron!" Jonathan answered.  
  
"Calm down! this isn't the time to argue! what are those things?" Christian asked nervously looking outside.  
  
"Those things out there are locust, and pardon me but I'm leaving"  
  
"No! you can't! those things will attack you!" Christian said frantically.  
  
But Jonathan was already out the door and racing up the stairway to the living quarters above, knocking on the door like mad Jonathan kept calling to Angela...but nothing. After about five tries he did something he never thought he could: gaining up all his strength he slammed himself against the door causing it to open. Stumbling in he saw Angela in Imhotep's arms. They hadn't even noticed that he had just slammed the door open.  
  
"Angela! get away from him!" he suddenly shouted.  
  
Angela looked at him as if awaken from a dream. Jonathan looked at her in utter shock, but Angela was in a sort of trance that even when she saw Jonathan she responded with no reaction what so ever.  
  
"Angela, please step away from him and come towards me, he's dangerous, come on, come here please"  
  
"But Jonathan, why is he dangerous? he's so handsome and so kind, I want to stay with him" Angela responded in a trance like voice.  
  
"I'll explain later, please come here" Jonathan said uneasily suddenly looking over at Imhotep and seeing his face turning in a grotesquely, angry one.  
  
Imhotep walked right up to Jonathan and without so much as a flick of the wrist he managed to pick Jonathan by the neck and throw him across the room where he landed with a loud crash: "You will not interfere!" Imhotep said furiously.  
  
In that instant, Angela was slapped out of la la land and back to reality. Looking across she saw Imhotep pick Jonathan and start to choke him.  
  
"Let him go!" she shouted in Egyptian  
  
Imhotep glared at her causing Angela to back up just a tad bit. Her mind froze and suddenly on instinct she grabbed a small statue of Bast, a cat shaped obsidian figure, and ran over to him.  
  
"Imhotep, let him go!"  
  
At the sight of the statue of Bast, Imhotep reared back shrieking like a scared old woman. Then the balcony doors blew open with a suddenly gust of wind. Imhotep seemed to spin into a tiny twister of sand, wind and speed, whipping himself into nothing except a spiraling sandstorm that went swirling towards the window, screaming Angela dove out of the way landing by Jonathan. That's when it was sucked out of the doors....gone. No sign was left of him, like it had never ever happened.  
  
Jonathan and Angela stood up and stumbled towards the center of the room and huddled.  
  
"Are you okay?" Angela asked trembling  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, just a bit sore but that's it, tried to save me...and I'm grateful"  
  
"It was nothing...really" Angela responded.  
  
The bedroom door swung open and Rick entered the quarters. Seeing Angela and Jonathan huddled in the middle of the room. He took out his revolver from under his left shoulder and trained it at every angle of the room, after making sure that nothing was inside he lowered his revolver returning it to his holster. Behind him Evelyn came running into the room and stopped abruptly.  
  
"Isiria was a temple dancer to Osiris who had a relationship with Imhotep, the story has it that she disappeared from Thebes...on precisely.. the same morning that all the fateful events happened to Imhotep...perhaps Anck-Su- Namun wasn't his true love after all"  
  
Everyone was staring at her in silent surprise. Evelyn realized that perhaps this hadn't been the right moment to say that.  
  
"So Imhotep is with me because he's confusing me with his lost love?" Angela asked in shock trying to actually conceal her knowledge of this information.  
  
"Yes, but that's not the worst of it, he's not just confusing you with her but he actually knows that part of you is her, take a look at this" Evelyn said as she handed an open book with a picture on the page.  
  
Looking down at it, Angela gasped. The picture on the page was an Ancient Egyptian drawing of a girl dancing to the beat of drums, flutes and bells. In the background it appeared to be that she was in a festival....the festival of the annual rebirth of Osiris, made precisely three thousand years ago.  
  
"No it can't be, it just can't" Angela said to herself realizing that her problem had just gotten worse. "Oh my god"  
  
"What is it Angela?" Rick asked.  
  
"I had a dream of being in this festival, I was the dancer, the crowd around me, the music... Imhotep all those things were there...in Thebes"  
  
"And you never told us anything" Rick commented suspiciously.  
  
"Because I didn't think much of it...I mean dreams aren't real...possibly it's just a figment of my sub-conscious, that's it"  
  
"I don't think it is Angela, dreams were a huge and are still a huge part of Egyptian culture perhaps this is a message or worst yet.. your past coming back to haunt you" a male voice suddenly said.  
  
The group looked at the direction of the closed door and found Ardeth Bay and Vinnie standing there...weapons in hand.  
  
"Oh damn"  
  
In an instant Angela ran for the balcony and without thinking she suddenly jumped down landing in some big bushes full of flowers. Looking above she saw Vinnie looking down at her as well as Ardeth and Rick, though the pain was sharp she managed to sit up.  
  
"You are never taking me back to Lewis! you first would have to kill me you bastard!" Angela shouted as she got up and ran.  
  
"That can be arranged!" Vinnie shouted back suddenly realizing that Rick was there and had heard him.  
  
"So you work with Lewis! you goo for nothing son of bitch! here let me show you the door, shall I?" Rick said grabbing him like a rag doll and tossing him out of the door. "And go tell Lewis to leave Angela alone or he'll have to deal with me!"  
  
Meanwhile downstairs Angela sat huddled in the corner of the stables, arms around her knees. Closing her eyes she suddenly started crying, was it fear setting in? fear of being locked up like a caged bird in Lewis' grasp? or was it the fear of being killed by a three thousand year old guy who she had lied to?  
  
"He knows I'm here, he'll tell Lewis and Lewis will come for me, why didn't I listen to Anton? god help me please" she thought.  
  
Peeking up she looked around and saw no sign of Vinnie, standing up she walked outside slowly carefully looking around. A hand suddenly touched her shoulder and she screamed, looking back she saw Jonathan and Evelyn with rather surprised looks on their faces.  
  
"Sorry you two I thought you were-"  
  
"The man who was with Ardeth Bey? no he's gone, thankfully, come on let's go upstairs and talk we all need to get updated onthis whole situation, the room is a safe place" Evelyn said softly.  
  
Jonathan smiled tenderly taking Angela's hand into his once more "Don't worry Angela, we'll help you get out of this problem, we promise"  
  
"Thank you, I don't know what I'd do without you guys" Angela said tearfully.  
  
That's when he hugged her tightly and held her close letting her cry into his shoulder. "I wish you knew how much I love you." he thought. "But I can't tell you, I just can't".  
  
Parting they walked towards the stairs, preparing for the lecture of Angela's life. Somehow jumping out of a balcony didn't seem like such a bad thing.  
  
*~~~ Outside of Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"Well here we are...Fort Brydon, home of the Kasbah, the most decent in this messed up city" Vlad said pointing to an Arabic looking building connected to the fort.  
  
"Very, very nice Vlad...you impress me, now come on let's go, I'm in need of a drink" Lewis said  
  
Walking inside they took a seat at the bar where immediately the bartender served them up some whisky shots, taking it into his hand Lewis walked out to the corridor of the Kasbah and stood looking around the fort.  
  
"Calabar, There's Angela! there she is!" Vlad started shouting.  
  
Lewis whirled around in the direction and there walking across the garden accompanied by two strangers was Angela! Dropping his shot glass, he ran towards her.  
  
"Sweetheart! Angela!" he shouted to her.  
  
Angela suddenly froze in mid-step at the sound of his voice.  
  
"What is it Angela? what's the matter?" Jonathan asked curiously.  
  
"Lewis, oh my god, it's my fiancé!" Angela said frantically.  
  
Jonathan turned to look and saw Lewis running towards them. "You have a fiancé?" he said, somehow he could feel his heart break in two pieces at that moment.  
  
"Lewis, is the man you were talking about with Rick? the man who you do not want to marry?" Evelyn asked surprised at this.  
  
"Yes Evelyn that's him" Angela said  
  
Lewis stopped and gasping for air tried to hug Angela, who backed away suddenly. Vlad was just arriving holding a shot glass in hand.  
  
"Angela! my love I've been looking for you! where have you been? you had me worried sick, come on let's go, we have a long journey ahead of us" Lewis said as he took her by the wrist."Thank you for taking care of her" he quickly said to Evie and Jonathan.  
  
Angela took his hand off of hers and happened to glance over at Vlad who had a revolver in hand pointed directly at her.  
  
"Uh, Lewis, I'd like you to meet Jonathan Carnarvon and his sister Evelyn. They're my friends that I'm sure you would like to get to know" she said nervously.  
  
"Jonathan Carnarvon? well you must be the son of the late Howard Carnarvon, the man who found King Tut's tomb and Evelyn, you are the curator at the London Museum of Antiquities are you not?"  
  
Both Jonathan and Evelyn nodded in agreement but didn't utter a single word.  
  
"Jonathan here...is my....boyfriend" Angela suddenly said much to the surprise of everyone around her.  
  
"I am? oh yes, yes I am her...boyfriend" Jonathan said somewhat stunned at the comment  
  
"But Angela you can't have a boyfriend...I'm your fiancé!!!" Lewis said angrily.  
  
Angela took off her engagement ring off and threw it at him. "You are not my fiancé! I will never marry you! Now you can't lock me up in those torture rooms of yours or try to hit me whenever you please, I'm free and you can't do anything to change that! not anymore,Lewis!"  
  
"That is where you're wrong, I can kill you" Lewis said pulling out a gun and pointing it straight at her chest.  
  
"Not if I kill you first ...you son of a bitch" Rick suddenly said as he pointed another gun at Lewis' head.  
  
"How did you?--" Evelyn tried to say  
  
"That's not important, get out of here" he responded sternly  
  
Evelyn and Angela ran away as ordered after seeing the menacing look in his eyes.  
  
"Now you and me are going to talk, Lewis"  
  
"I don't think so, you have to decide between me and your friend, Jonathan's life...so which one will it be?" Lewis said slyly.  
  
Rick suddenly looked over at Jonathan who was being held tightly by Vlad who was also holding a revolver to his head. Rick sighed resignedly and said "Hand him over"  
  
"You know, I changed my mind, kill him, Vlad"  
  
But before Vlad could pull the trigger Rick took his gun and shot him four times knocking him to the ground...dead. Lewis looked at him in shock and ran disappearing within the large crowd that had quickly gathered around them.  
  
"Are you okay, Jonathan?" Rick asked  
  
"Never been better, O'Connell" he said relieved that he hadn't been hit.  
  
"Sorry about the clothes, but it was either his blood or yours"  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad it wasn't me at the end of those bullets"  
  
Upstairs Evelyn was trying really hard to comfort Angela who was nervously pacing around the room. Everything was happening so fast and too complicated to understand.  
  
"I heard gunshots, oh no! what if Lewis and Vlad killed both Rick and Jonathan? I'll never forgive myself!" Angela said frantically  
  
"I'm sure nothing happened perhaps they were just warning shots....look there they are now" Evelyn said pointing at Rick and Jonathan who were just walking in.  
  
"Jonathan you're hurt! you must be in so much pain! come on we have to take him to the hospital! here let me help you out" Angela said as she ran over to him and started to try and help him out.  
  
His clothes were soaked in blood, and he looked rather pale and disoriented, from the looks of it.  
  
"I'm fine don't worry, the guy who was with Lewis took the hits....Lewis got away though" Jonathan replied happily but changing to a disappointed tone of voice in mid sentence.  
  
Angela slumped into a chair and put her hands onto her face and sighed. Looking up she found herself looking into Rick's grim face.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.  
  
"I'm only going to ask you these once and don't lie to me...Do you have the Book of the Dead? Did you read from it? and How did you get it?" Rick asked demandingly  
  
"Rick, I, I uh" she stuttered.  
  
"Angela, we said there would be no secrets! Did you or did you not read from book?" Rick said infuriated  
  
"Rick, I, I did read from it, I found it, I read it...I did everything" Angela answered passively, forcing herself not to break down.  
  
"Where did you read it?"  
  
"It was back at the dig near Hamunaptra, I read from it and there was, I shall never forget, a scream, a loud explosion coming from the toppled ruins, that is when the group I was with got ambushed by the Med-Jai and we all ran away"  
  
"Ardeth was right, both the women in my life set the same guy free"  
  
"Rick, it was an accident, I had no idea that reading from the book would do that....I swear" Rick glared at both her and Evelyn, who suddenly slumped in a chair across from Angela. If looks could kill both Evie and Angela would have been toast to a crisp.  
  
"O'Connell, it's not their fault, both didn't know what would happen if they read aloud from that damned thing" Jonathan suddenly said defensively.  
  
"Ya Jonathan is right, if we both would have known what would have been unleashed we would have never read from them book...so don't go on blaming us two for the mistake of many people combined" Angela said seriously as if suddenly possessed by the spirit of a rebel.  
  
Noticing that he was out numbered three to one Rick walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him, hard enough to cause the pictures on the wall to shake... everyone in the living room jumped slightly at the sound.  
  
"Come on Jonathan let's go, I have to get you cleaned up" Angela said softly as she stood and walked outside with Jonathan trailing behind.  
  
"We'll be back later, ol'mum" Jonathan said, his voice trailing in an echo down the hall.  
  
Evelyn now sat alone looking at the door of the bedroom every so often. Standing up she walked out of the quarters and down the stairs and decided at once to go to the museum once more. This time around things were getting more complex than before...a whole lot more complex.  
  
"Rick, needs time alone" she thought. "I just hope he doesn't do anything foolish"  
  
*~~~ Abandoned Building, Outskirts of Cairo~~~*  
  
"Master, this is no place for you, you deserve something better, a palace, or perhaps a suite in the plaza, but not this" a little man said in Hebrew.  
  
"No, for now I shall remain here until I deem it right to see Isiria, I have found her after so long, oh how I long to be by her side and cherish her for all eternity" Imhotep said longingly.  
  
"Master, we must first dispose of the mortals, for it is better to have all the world for you both than share it with them"  
  
"My good man, I plan on doing so, but I must also regain Isiria's trust and I must bring back those memories of the joyous times she had back in Thebes...she is a mortal so I must make her forget her mortal life and bring her back to me". Imhotep responded back in Hebrew.  
  
"Yes, I understand but do you have the Book of the Dead?"  
  
"I do have it and I nearly had her mind in my grasp, in part she remembers the love she has for me, for when we kissed she had the same longing to be in my arms as I with her... something inside of her is wanting to be with me and I must help it come back ..for I love her with all my heart and I will not lose her again"  
  
"When shall I got tell her to see you?"  
  
"Tomorrow when the sun rises from the depths of the earth, only then can you go and see her"  
  
"Very well, my good prince, I will see her in the morning...and I shall I bring her to you?"  
  
"No do not bring her to me, only tell her that I love her and give her this" Imhotep said as he took out a gold ring with an emerald scarab on it.  
  
Taking it in his hand the other man turned and sat down on a ledge.  
  
"So why is it that you are now after Isiria?" the figure asked "Did you not love Anck-Su-Namun?"  
  
"What I felt for Anck-Su-Namun was not love...it was lust and now I regret everything I did with her and what I did to Seti, all what I did was all done blindly, for Anck-Su-Namun would have truly been my second choice in life and had it not been for my foolishness I would have never lost Isiria or killed Seti"  
  
"But why Isiria? What is it that she has? that Anck-Su-Namun didn't have?"  
  
"She has kindness, innocence, her heart and her soul are pure...everything about her is nothing but good. Isiria is a goddess compared to Anck-Su- Namun, and she truly loved me"  
  
"Would it be too much to ask if I asked you to tell me what were some of the happy moments you had with her?"  
  
"I'll tell you one, it all started....." 


	4. Love, Chaos: Multum in Parvo

Title: Imhotep's Obsession (Chapters 10,11, and 12)  
  
Author: Darlene Evelyn  
  
Feedback: Please let me know what you think but please don't be rude.  
  
Copyright: All Characters from both TM and TMR except for the new ones of course, which are mine are sole property of Universal Pictures. No profit is being made with this story.  
  
Chapter 10...  
  
*~~1,290 B.C. Thebes, City of the Living~~*  
  
Isiria walked out to the temple gardens, carrying a small dish of milk. One of the cats that lived in the garden had recently had kittens and she visited them often, bringing treats. She had found them nestled away from the main walkways and she sat in the soft grass next to them and watched their cute antics, speaking to them softly and tenderly caressing their little bodies. Isiria loved being here, it was so tranquil and so quiet and it was her secret spot. Nobody ever came this far into the temple gardens that is the reason she loved it. Suddenly though she felt that she wasn't alone, still holding a black kitten she looked up and noticed the tall man leaning against a tree a small distance away, watching her with a little smile on his handsome face. Instantly she recognized him, his face had appeared in front of her eyes every time she had ever closed them, ever since the day they had met in the Temple of Osiris....What was he doing here? Carefully returning the kitten to it's mother's care, she got to her feet.  
  
"Lord Imhotep, what brings you here?" she asked curiously  
  
"They told me I could find you here, I wanted to see you again so we could talk. Your dancing intrigues me....you intrigue me. Isiria, you are unlike any other temple dancer I have ever seen.... and I'd like to get to know you better.....where do you come from?"  
  
She still had not recovered from his sudden appearance in her private world and tried to find words to answer him. And his question was a loaded one "Where did she come from?"  
  
"That my lord is a long story" she finally answered.  
  
His face barely concealed the amusement he felt at her slight discomfort. Unfortunately for Imhotep, she caught that sly, little smile that curved his full lips. Embarrassment gave way to an instant flare of temper, something Isiria was very capable of and everyone in the city of Thebes knew so.  
  
"Does the High Priest of Osiris have nothing better to do than toy with an insignificant temple dancer? Aren't there some affairs of state or of the temple that need attending to?" she snapped hotly,her dark brown eyes flashing sparks. "It is your job to tend to the city!"  
  
For a moment he was stunned. No one had ever spoken to him in that manner. Then he suddenly laughed out loud. "I decided to take a rest" he said with a grin.  
  
Then seeing that did in no way appease her, he continued more seriously. "I am sorry if I insulted you in any way. I really do want to know you better....please"  
  
The thunder clouds on her face slowly disappeared behind a bright smile. "I forgive you" she answered with a bright twinkle in her eyes.  
  
Suddenly she felt at ease with him and enjoyed his company. Then she remembered that he was still waiting for an answer to his question.  
  
"I really don't know exactly where I come from" she said softly.  
  
As he raised a questioning eyebrow, she proceeded to tell him how she was found abandoned at the gates of Thebes as an infant by some soldiers of the Pharaoh. For some reason their general took a liking to the tiny child and took her home to raise her as his daughter, giving her the name 'Isiria' meaning: eternity. He had no other family so she was raised by men, and trained by her father in the martial arts of the times. He loved her like she was his own. When her father was killed in a war when she was sixteen, she found refuge in the temple of Osiris, where she first watched the dancers and then started dancing herself. She became the main dancer and the source of great pride to Thebes. "So here I am now" she concluded "and I'm very happy"  
  
Imhotep was impressed by her story. He found himself relating to her as his equal, not a subordinate, or even a mere female. They sat in the little cove for a long time and he found that he could discuss problems with her and benefit from her comments. By the time he bid his good byes they were close friends, but he wanted to be so much more closer to her than that.  
  
"I will see you again soon" he said in parting "and thank you"  
  
She remained in the cove for a while after that, her mind digesting what had just happened. She had been fascinated with Imhotep after their first meeting. Now she knew the man behind the title, now she knew without a doubt that she felt something for him. Happiness flowed through very inch of her body and she ran back to the temple as fast as she could...it was time for the evening rituals and dances and she knew she would dance like never before...because love gave her the strength to fly.  
  
*~~~Back to 1926, Abandoned Building~~~*  
  
"I can still remember that day, when I fell in love with her and she with me, though I never knew it until it was too late" Imhotep said sadly, longing to be back there on that day with her.  
  
"I am amazed, oh great prince, for I imagined you to be full of hatred towards her since she left you without saying anything"  
  
Imhotep's expression changed from dreamy to that of sudden anger. Whirling around towards the small figure his eyes were flashing sparks.  
  
"How do you know that?!" he asked furiously as he picked up the small figure up by the collar  
  
"From the citizens, they're all talking about how Isiria is back, in fact some were telling the story about how you two and how she left Thebes the same day you killed Seti and was cursed with the Hom-Dai!" the figure said fearfully.  
  
"I never want you to mention that ever again! in fact if you do....I will personally dispose of you!"  
  
"No please! I promise, that I...Beni Gabor, will never mention that again! just please put me down!"  
  
Imhotep glared at him but nonetheless let him go, allowing him to slide down the wall to his feet; the little man sighed in relief as he smoothed out his black cloak.  
  
"I will leave tomorrow and I promise you, oh great one that Isiria will know what you want her to know" Beni said  
  
"Make sure that she does"  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"Well...I'm ready, never in my life have I seen so much blood come out of one person" Jonathan said as he buttoned up his shirt.  
  
"I'm glad you weren't hurt, that's all I'm happy about...if you would have gotten injured or killed I would have never forgiven myself" Angela said uneasily.  
  
"You were really worried about me?"  
  
"Yes I was, I regret telling Lewis that you were my boyfriend, now he'll not only try to take me back to London but he'll kill you as well, I mean, you saw what he did!...why didn't I just go with him! it would have been the best solution to this problem"  
  
"You will never go back with Lewis. I won't let him take you...let him think that I am your new boyfriend it's better that he knows you have people who are willing to defend you, so don't worry"  
  
"I shouldn't have involved you guys, this is a very serious situation and it is one that I have to deal with alone"  
  
"Angela, please listen to me...don't stress over it, what we need to do is take you somewhere... where you can relax, you deserve to be happy.....always. So what would you say if I took you out for a stroll tomorrow?"  
  
"I'll think about it, Jonathan, but in the meantime I'm just going to stay here and repose...I think that will be the best thing to do for now"  
  
"Very well, I'll be going then...and be careful, ok? if you need anything just call my name, I'll be here in a flash" Jonathan said reassuringly.  
  
"Got it, I will try and remember that"  
  
Jonathan smiled and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. As he walked up to the railing he looked up at sky and smiled, never in his life had he felt something so beautiful as he did for Angela, the feeling was love. Booze, money and women were his weaknesses, but now this sentiment, this feeling was so much more different; somehow he wasn't viewing Angela with the eyes of a rogue, seeking only temporary conquest. No, he was facing the worst danger that could have ever befallen on him: a girl he could love...the only girl that could understand him, the girl of his dreams. Then his eyes lowered to the floor below him where he detected another danger: Lewis Calabar, who seemed to be following along with him as he walked down the corridor, keeping pace.  
  
"Damn, bloody fool, what does he want?" Jonathan murmured to himself.  
  
Walking downstairs, he made his way into the courtyard and looked around but Lewis wasn't there, turning back in the direction he had just came though he found Lewis holding a gun to his head...again.  
  
"Hello Lewis, um, how are you?" Jonathan stuttered "Well, I suppose"  
  
"Cut the crap Jonathan, you're Angela's new boyfriend and to be honest with you...I hate that fact, and when I hate something I get rid of it, permanently...you got that?" Lewis said furiously.  
  
"Lewis, please, I had no idea she had a fiancé....she never told me! in fact why don't you put the gun down so we can talk in a civilized way....no blood or gore, okay?". Jonathan said nervously.  
  
Lewis stared at him intently and slowly lowered the gun, putting it on the ground in front of him as a sign of agreement.  
  
"Ok, let's talk....I want Angela back, give her to me and I won't do anything to you, in fact I'll pay you twenty thousand dollars, just for handing her over, how's that?"  
  
"Twenty thousand dollars! uh, I, no I'm not giving her back to you, so go and try to bribe someone else because I won't help you"  
  
"Very well Jonathan, you bring this down upon yourself, you and Angela will regret this day... dearly. As well as Evelyn and Angela's brother...be careful where you walk because it may be the last place you set foot on. Now of course thinking it over, Angela will be the last to die...so she can suffer while seeing you die...slowly"  
  
"Leave her alone Lewis, I'm warning you"  
  
"Such nobility! It warms the heart. A bit late, though, Johnny Boy. You're going to lose and I'm going to win it's that simple, and I'll enjoy my triumph when I kill you"  
  
Suddenly the little voice in Jonathan's head screamed "Attack!". Being a cautious little voice, though, it waited until Lewis turned his back. Punching wildly, he rolled around on the floor with Lewis for less than two minutes before the more experienced fighter dealt him an efficient combination of twin blows to the jaw and abdomen, that left Jonathan curled up on the floor in a shrimp-like position, clinging to consciousness, clutching his stomach, and thinking that it simply wasn't fair to be feeling this horrible without the benefit of getting drunk beforehand. Rising to his feet and dusting off his shirt and slacks, Lewis rubbed his chin and contemplated Jonathan. The little wretch had turned out to be something of a surprise....he hated surprises. After Lewis had walked away into the darkness, Jonathan heard footsteps coming towards him.  
  
"Jonathan! oh god in heaven!" someone shouted.  
  
Looking up at the sky he found himself looking into Evelyn's worried eyes. "Oh dear, who did this to you? how many attacked you?"  
  
Jonathan only smiled "I love you Angela! Do you love me?" he said deliriously.  
  
Evelyn's eyes went wide and even more so when she looked behind herself and found Rick looking down on them.  
  
"What did he say?" Rick asked somewhat shocked  
  
"He said 'I love you Angela, do you love me?' "  
  
Rick went cold "Come on let's take him upstairs and get him fixed up" he said as he hoisted Jonathan onto his shoulder. "Both him and Angela are in serious trouble"  
  
"I love you Angela!" Jonathan kept repeating over and over, much to Rick's annoyance.  
  
"Who could have done this?" Evelyn asked uneasily. "He's not drunk and he didn't have any money with him, so it must have been someone he knew"  
  
"Yeah, someone like Lewis Calabar, that son of bitch is going to pay for this, when I see him I'll make sure to take him out, what makes him think he has the right to rule over my sister's life?"  
  
Walking into their quarters they set Jonathan on the bed.  
  
"Rick, please we have to be careful with Lewis, you saw what he did to Angela, and now Jonathan, what makes you think you can beat him?....he has henchmen if you haven't noticed"  
  
"And? I can beat them, I mean come on we fought against the Med-Jai and we won all the fights...what makes you think this will be any different?"  
  
Evelyn didn't answer instead she picked up the book and looked at the drawing of Isiria, she indeed looked like Angela, it was odd, but true. Isiria was indeed beautiful, Evelyn couldn't deny that either, but why had she left Thebes? Could it be that Imhotep was her love and she couldn't stand to see him with Anck-Su-Namun?  
  
"So what are you thinking about?" Rick suddenly asked, breaking her out of her revery.  
  
"I was thinking about Isiria, and how people say that she looks like Angela, it's odd but she does look like Isiria and Imhotep has a love of some sort for her.. it's romantic in an eerie way, yet Angela has no memories of being Isiria"  
  
"That's because she isn't Isiria"  
  
"Part of her must be Isiria, and no matter what we say Rick, Angela is connected in some way at least to her, that is why Imhotep loves her and there is a greater chance that she loves him as well"  
  
"No, she's not Isiria, and there is no way in hell he's getting near my sister"  
  
Suddenly there was low moan coming from the bedroom. Rick and Evelyn looked at each other in shock... Jonathan was in there! Rushing in they found him tossing and turning in the bed muttering something. Walking closer, Rick stood by him and looked down curiously at him.  
  
"Angela, I love you, will you marry me?" Jonathan suddenly said. "Come back don't leave....I love you"  
  
Rick stepped back and glanced over at Evelyn who stared back at him. Pointing at Jonathan, Rick glared.  
  
"and I'm not leaving him and my sister alone in the same room. Jonathan is planning to get Angela to be his girl...he has never taken anyone seriously, so there is positively no way I'm letting them get together...my sister doesn't deserve to suffer more than she already is" Rick said sternly.  
  
"Please Rick, Jonathan is just delirious, he took some serious bashing down there, there is a chance he got hit in the head so maybe he's just seeing imaginary things of a sort, why don't I talk to him later on, ok? then I'll confirm if he in reality is in love with Angela" Evelyn responded softly.  
  
Rick nodded and walked out of the room, Evelyn sat next to Jonathan and gently caressed his head. "Oh Jonathan, wake up, please, wake up soon" she thought.  
  
He stirred a bit then slowly fell back into sleep, much to her dismay. Finally standing up, she walked out of the bedroom and sat down on the small sofa that was in the next room. This time around, things were going to get a whole lot more hectic...even more because this time mind, magic, love, past and understanding combined into one. Mix substances and you are likely to encounter a reaction unlike any you've ever seen.  
  
"God help us all" Evelyn thought as she fell asleep...."God help us all"  
  
The sun was now above the horizon and slowly lowering itself, creating hints of blue, purple and gold. It appeared to be a scene taken out of a Friedrich Painting. The flaming crimson ball that was the setting sun once more threw streaks of red and purple across the city, until the eerie haze of dusk banished the silhouettes from view, the furnace of the day shut off, suddenly and coolness descended, at first crisp then downright cold.  
  
Nights star-studded sapphire shroud now fell upon Cairo, moonlight painting the walls of the fort, a chalky ivory. Rick had been out all afternoon looking for Lewis, but to no avail. It seemed as if the ground had sucked him up...he was hoping it did. It was 8:02pm as he checked his watch. Walking up the stairs, he suddenly noticed Angela sitting on the rail of the hallway, looking up at the stars, from his angle and distance it appeared she was murmuring something or singing, he wasn't quite sure. Walking closer, he saw her eyes closed and she was singing a song, but not in English but in Ancient Egyptian!!! It was a sort of love song, even though he couldn't understand, Rick could tell by the tone of her voice.  
  
It was eerie in a way, she seemed to become a different person. She leaned back and sighed adoringly, softly speaking in a whisper..."Imhotep, my love come back to me, I want to be in your arms once more"  
  
Rick's eyes went wide and acting on instinct turned around and tried to run to get Evelyn, but instead tripped on his own feet and landed on the floor with a slam, knocking a chair down with him. Meanwhile Angela had been torn out of fantasy by the noise and fell off the railing to the floor behind her, landing with a shrieking thud.  
  
Sitting up slowly she found herself sitting across from Rick who was rubbing his head in pain and silently cursing.  
  
"Rick! what the hell were you doing?! good god bro! talk, do please talk when you see me alone...at least that way I won't be scared out of my mind and have a heart attack in the process!" Angela said angrily.  
  
"You were too busy singing to hear me at all...so what were you singing, Angela? perhaps a love song of some sort?" Rick asked sternly, as he stood up and helped Angela to her feet.  
  
"Uh, oh! that song uh, no, it wasn't a love song...it was a uh, lullaby! yes it was an Egyptian lullaby. I was trying to relax a bit and I thought that maybe that, uh, would work"  
  
"Angela, let me get this straight you were singing a lullaby and then you just happen to mention Imhotep after you sang it, and what the hell do you mean by wanting to be in his arms once more? you didn't think of going farther with him did you?" Rick said harshly.  
  
Without warning Angela slapped him twice, hard enough to get the attention of some soldiers down below. They stared at both Angela and Rick who just looked at them with guilty eyes, well Rick at least.  
  
"Everything is all right men, nothing to worry about" Rick said as he rubbed his face "Just some brother/sister arguing that's all"  
  
The soldiers looked at one another then at Rick, and they shrugged and walked away. When Rick turned back, Angela was already storming down the hallway.  
  
"Where do you think you're going!?". Rick shouted as he ran after her... "Come back here!"  
  
Opening the door to her quarters, Angela turned and glared at him saying sarcastically "Yeah, I'm sure!"  
  
"Wait!"  
  
"I'm going to bed!" she shouted and slammed the door just in time for Rick to crash into it with a slam.  
  
"God! what is it with people and shutting the door on me!" he thought as he straightened himself up and walked back to his quarters. "We're definitely talking about this tomorrow!"  
  
Having his sister back was nice, the arguments though had to change, especially because it wasn't everyday you were going to argue with your sister about a three thousand year old high priest of Osiris who was bent on destroying the world and was deeply infatuated with her... yes, things needed to change no matter how drastic the measures were. As night went on everyone went to sleep, and the fort was silent, peace set in and nothing stirred...this was as tranquil as it was ever going to get.  
  
*~~~The Kasbah~~~*  
  
"Bartender! another drink if you please!" David shouted drunkenly.  
  
The bartender immediately served his drink and handed it to David. Although it was later the kasbah remained open. David was alone in the bar drinking himself away...the news of the destruction and loss of the artifacts was too much for him to bare and Angela! where was she?  
  
"Angela must have gone back to London with Lewis and then they'll be married in a few days... what the hell is the worlds problem!?" he shouted loudly "Why doesn't it just end!"  
  
"Oh will you shut up!" a voice shouted back  
  
Quickly turning around David found himself face to face with Lewis! and from the look on his face it appeared that he was completely distraught.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Lewis Calabar, so what happened? did Angela finally make the right choice and break up with you!" David said sarcastically.  
  
Lewis glared at him, walking towards him as he did and said "Well, David...that's what you would like to hear, now wouldn't you? for your information she hasn't ...I'll take her back to London, you just wait"  
  
"Calabar, you're pathetic, how can you expect Angela to love you if you're always acting like an ass, come on! both of us know, anyway, that she hates you and that she'll gladly put up a fight before she ever goes with you"  
  
"I've thought about that, my men can settle her down"  
  
David suddenly burst out laughing hysterically: "Ha! you're men, you see... you can't even control her yourself... you're so weak...oh and another thing, Lewis, don't think that no one has noticed the fact that you've never loved Angela at all, all you love is her fortune...admit it! you're nothing but a weak, scheming, frightened... bastard"  
  
Without another word Lewis punched him in the jaw, knocking the drunken guy to the floor, where he landed with a loud crash.  
  
"and what are you? nothing but a drunken fool who has another so-called crush on my fiancée!"  
  
"Your ex-fiancée, Lewis....your ex, so where is she? by the way? from the looks of you it seems that you've already found her" David said as he stood up and rubbed his jaw.  
  
"And what if I did? I wouldn't tell you"  
  
"Well, let's see for one I would hate to have to lose the artifacts from the dig which you and your very beautiful ex-fiancée have, you both could be accused of stealing them...or worse you could bring down a curse of some sort upon you both"  
  
Lewis sat down and sighed "What do you mean a curse? what kind of a curse? and you wouldn't dare accuse us of stealing"  
  
"Oh but I would, and as for the curse well let me just say that one of your men or maybe even Angela herself have in their possession the artifacts which I so desire and which everyone in this measly world fears"  
  
"What are they?" Lewis asked inquisitively  
  
"A book and a necklace...those are the things I want"  
  
"Wait a second, is the necklace a gold one that's in the form of a winged Isis and on the back it has sacred writing?"  
  
"Yeah, why? do you know who has it?"  
  
"In fact I do...it's Angela who last had it and I'm sure she kept it, though I'm not sure about any other artifacts that we got back at the dig... I mean I only saw her outside in a garden, I wasn't with her in certain room"  
  
"Tell me where she is at, Lewis, and I promise you that you won't regret it, just tell me where she is and I'll hand her over to you in exchange for what artifacts she has....what do you think?"  
  
Lewis stared at him for a while and stood up. "Very well David, I'll tell you, but be very careful in betraying me, because believe me you will regret it if you ever do"  
  
Shaking hands in partnership, they smiled at one another and once again sat down for another drink.  
  
"Angela is here in the fort somewhere...I found her this afternoon, and she's well accompanied from what I saw....and experienced"  
  
"Well thank you, Lewis, and about the company I'm sure I can deal with them.....Angela won't know what hit her and I assure you tomorrow I'll find her and you'll have her back in your hands once more"  
  
Toasting, they laughed wickedly and drank up their whisky....their laughter echoing throughout the fort like that of two preying hyenas hunting in the dark African savannas for the innocent ethereal prey that lay fast asleep in it's den of tranquility.  
  
Chapter 11...  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
As the sun rose up over the pyramids of Giza it cast a large beam of light in the shudders creating a step-like image of hazy, light and dust. Angela awoke to find herself engulfed in the of the room, it was blinding, enough to make her cover her face with her blanket.  
  
"Ah, you're finally awake!" Jonathan said happily "Good Morning!"  
  
"Yes, Jonathan I'm awake, good morning and oh dear god!!! what happened to you?!" Angela said softly but changing her tone of voice to a frantic question.  
  
She got out of bed and walked up to him and examined his face. The bruises on Jonathan's jaw were black, blue and orange, like a rare, exotic, tropical-blossom.  
  
"Think nothing of it, Angela....it was just a fall I had yesterday" Jonathan said cheerfully. "This happens all the time"  
  
"What? so you fell off of the stairs? cause other than that I don't think you'd have bruises on your cheeks and jaw... Jonathan, what really happened? Did one of Lewis' men attack you?"  
  
"No, don't worry about it, ok so I did get attacked, but it wasn't anyone I knew and oh look it's 8:03 I think we should get ready"  
  
"Fine, I can take a hint, if you don't want to talk about it then I'm going outside" Angela said  
  
Jonathan sat down and smiled as he watched her walk over to the balcony and go outside...  
  
"What a beautiful day, Jonathan! come out here and take a look!" she called out.  
  
The day indeed had turned out to be beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, the cool morning breeze rustling the plants and the sound of the swallows chirping up above was utterly relaxing. Down below everyone was walking in and out of the fort, talking, the soldiers were all at their posts and the animals were being fed.  
  
"I'm here, wow it is a nice day, and adding you to the picture makes the day seem dull, you out shine it in every way" Jonathan said softly.  
  
Angela blushed and looked up at the blue sky, smiling to herself then at Jonathan. "Are you always full of flattering comments?" she asked "because I could get use to this".  
  
"Only when I truly care about someone, other than that count me out of the compliment circle"  
  
"Oh really? well thank you for caring about me, I really care about you too...and since you kind of brought it up... what are the plans for today?"  
  
"Hmm, well lets see I'd have to say....anything you want to do, I mean, if Rick and Evie don't already have plans of some sort". Jonathan said. "Oh and uh, I wanted to ask you something, but I need you to promise me that you won't get mad"  
  
"Ok, I promise, just ask"  
  
"Um, well, I wanted to ask you about Imhotep, what do you feel for him? how come you aren't afraid of him? he kills, he destroys, he's evil"  
  
"No Jonathan, he's not evil, he's a kind person, you just have to get to know him...he doesn't kill because he wants to, he kills because of the curse of the Hom-Dai...and also because people make him mad, but that's it, and I, I don't know what I think about him, he's incredibly handsome and has great body...uh not that I would know, but I'm guessing he does....to tell you the truth I don't know what I feel for him" Angela said skittishly.  
  
"You don't know? well I guess you would totally find that out for yourself" Jonathan said softly  
  
"Ya I guess, the things is, Jonathan...that whenever he kissed me I felt this incredible surge of energy inside of me, it was a feeling I've never experienced...I felt like I knew him and I craved his kisses as much as much as he craved mine...our bodies seemed to know each other and I actually enjoyed his company...yet I'm confused at all of this, oh god what am I really feeling...do I love him or not?" Angela said anxiously.  
  
Jonathan looked away holding back tears, he was completely brokenhearted after what he had heard. Each of Angela's words drove a dagger into his heart, until nothing was left but bleeding shreds. He watched the passion and tenderness in her face as she spoke and he hated it. He kept his composure as he stared at her sadly, closing his eyes as if that would help him shut out her words.... Jonathan hadn't felt his heart so heavy since the day his parents had died.  
  
"I'm happy for you, and I'm sure you'll figure out what you feel for him sooner or later" he said, trying to conceal his sadness. "Let's just hope you make the right decision"  
  
"Thank you and I assure you that I will try and make the right choice" Angela said. "Jonathan, why don't you have a girlfriend? frankly I'm amazed...you're such a sweet, humorous guys that I think any girl would like to be your girlfriend"  
  
Jonathan looked away at a pair of swallows that were chirping away, singing their lovely songs and sighed "The girl I want is already taken by someone else...I doubt she'll ever notice me....what good is being humorous and sweet, if the girl you like doesn't love you back" Angela turned him towards her and caressed his cheek gently, causing him to shiver slightly.  
  
"You have to show her how much you love her then, prove to her that you are the one that she's been looking for and most importantly let your heart tell you what to do...that works, I assure you that she'll notice you in no time" she said with a soft smile.  
  
"I will, I'll try...I promise" he said.  
  
With that he hugged her tightly not wanting to let go of her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed and closed her eyes.  
  
"Oh Jonathan, you're the best, sooner or later you'll see, that girl you love will come to you and I bet you that she'll regret not having have noticed you sooner"  
  
"I hope so Angela, I hope so" Jonathan said as he softly ran his hand up and up and down her back.  
  
Parting, Angela smiled at him and looked down at the garden, where she could see Christian reading by himself.  
  
"Hey didn't you say you were going to take me out for a stroll?"  
  
"Yes Angela, and now I suggest you get ready, I'll wait here"  
  
As she turned to walk inside she found Rick standing in the doorway of the balcony, stern look on his face that caused her to jump abruptly.  
  
"So you two are going out for a stroll? well would you mind if Evelyn and I went along with you?" Rick asked. "I couldn't help but hear your conversation"  
  
Before Jonathan could answer, Angela nodded. "Of course you can come with us, the more the merrier! We'd be delighted! wouldn't we Jonathan?"  
  
She looked at Jonathan who seemed distant as he looked at Rick. Rick on the other hand smiled at him and Angela brightly.  
  
"Well, Jonathan, is it ok with you?" Rick asked insistently.  
  
"Uh yes, yes it's okay, the more the merrier" Jonathan said uneasily.  
  
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you two alone to talk...I'll be right back" Angela said as she hugged Rick and walked back inside.  
  
Rick watched her go and when he saw her shut the bedroom door, he turned towards Jonathan with a grim look on his face.  
  
"So where were you planning on taking her?" Rick asked. "Any place I know"  
  
"On a boat trip down the Nile...then to Luxor...why?" Jonathan asked..."It's not bad, is it?"  
  
"Well, it sounds fun, but what else? were you planning on telling her that you're in love with her?" Rick asked suddenly, catching Jonathan off guard.  
  
"Uh, what!, no, no I wasn't planning such a crazy thing like that! why would I do such a thing! I mean what makes you think I love Angela?!" Jonathan stuttered nervously.  
  
"Hmm? Let me think, perhaps it was yesterday after Lewis beat the living daylights out of you! don't deny it Jonathan, you're in love with my sister"  
  
Jonathan stared at him with wide eyes and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, O'Connell"  
  
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about"  
  
"Okay O'Connell, if it'll make you feel any better I do! I do love your sister with all my heart! and I would do anything possible to make her happy... I would go to the darkest regions of hell if I had to help her out...because I love her!"  
  
"I'm not leaving you one second alone with her"  
  
"But O'Connell! why are you acting like this!"  
  
"First of all I care a lot about my sister and I don't want to see her suffer because of you, and Secondly you haven't changed at bit...and that's the main factor, lastly, well...I can't think of that right now, but I will and I'll tell you when I do"  
  
"O'Connell, I've changed! I haven't had one drink since she's arrived! ok, so it's only been four days, but I plan on not drinking any more...as for poker, gambling and lying...I swear I haven't done any of it! and frankly I've done it all for her!"  
  
"You've done what for who?" Angela suddenly appeared, causing Jonathan to jump.  
  
"Uh, I've uh always stood up for Evie, even if I'm not the best at fighting" Jonathan smiled slightly.  
  
"Oh, well that's good, you're a good brother, Jonathan" she said kindly.."So if we have nothing left to do then let's get going"  
  
"Why don't you go and get Evelyn and we'll meet you down at the car" Rick said."Jonathan and I have a bit of conversing to do anyway"  
  
"OK, see you down there" she said as she turned and walked out of the quarters into the hallway.  
  
"Now you and I are going to talk" Rick said seriously to Jonathan, who only looked at him uneasily.  
  
Down the hallway Angela was knocking on Evelyn's door. "Evelyn! Hey Evelyn are you there?" she called out. "Are you OK in there?"  
  
No answer ..."Hmmmm? I wonder where she could be?" she thought, pausing for a moment, "If I were Evelyn.. where would I be? Oh wait!!! I'd be in a library!"  
  
Running downstairs she grabbed an apple off of a fruit tray that a soldier was carrying and she ran into the fort library. Sure enough Evelyn was there reading and doing some kind of research. Always in the books, never into looks... Angela thought as she took a bite of her apple and walked closer to her.  
  
"Hey Evelyn, don't want to bother you but, Rick says that we're going now...oh!!! what are you doing?"  
  
Evelyn looked up and signaled her to sit down. "Angela, how many times have you seen Imhotep?" she asked "It's important that you tell me the truth"  
  
"Uh ok, um I've seen him uh, three times" Angela replied as she looked away.  
  
"OK, so then that leaves seven plagues left to go" Evelyn murmured.  
  
"Come on Evelyn, we can't be late" Angela said suddenly, as she yanked Evelyn off of the couch and out the door. "We can talk about this later"  
  
"But we need to-" Evelyn tried to say.  
  
"What we need to do is have fun and today we are doing so...if something comes up then we can start researching and stuff, now hurry up!!! we don't have all day!"  
  
*~~~Small Cafe, El-Sayed...a block from Hotel~~~*  
  
"So what's the plan?" Vinnie asked curiously as he took a drink of his hot English tea.  
  
"The plan ,Vinnie is to go to Fort Brydon and get Angela, but you and I aren't going to even try because of various reasons but David can go, he's the only one that has absolutely no problems with The Carnarvons and Angela's brother"  
  
"I see, so David goes and tries to gain Angela's trust and friendship and when she least expects it, we'll strike" Vinnie said  
  
"Exactly, David is on his way there as we speak, Step one is put into place and I guarantee it will work...Angela's fortune will be mine"  
  
"Granted Angela doesn't find out what his intentions really are, we're done for if she finds out"  
  
"She won't, Vinnie, Angela is a sucker for nice guys.. she'll fall into our trap quicker than you'll realize"  
  
"In the meantime though, what do we do?"  
  
"I'm curious about those artifacts that Angela has in her possession. Why don't we pay that curator, Hanan...a visit I'm sure he'll tell us what they are and what's so special about them"  
  
"Fine with me, Lewis...why don't we go now"  
  
"Let's do so, if they are of any value I won't give them to David... lets just say that this will be a two for one deal, I'll be twice as wealthy and have a beautiful woman by my side...ah David won't know what hit him"  
  
With that they shared grins and toasted to a bright and happy future...a bright, happy, and very uncertain future.  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"OK we're here, so where to?" Angela asked as she looked around anxiously.  
  
"How about we go to Giza Port and catch a boat, the weather is perfect for a fun trip down the Nile". Evelyn replied  
  
"Well then Giza Port it is" Rick said "Ok Jonathan, you drive...we're off to Giza Port"  
  
Within seconds they were speeding down the streets of Cairo in the Dusenberg Convertible, Jonathan behind the wheel, honking the horn to clear the path of slow traffic. Angela sat in the back seat, while Evelyn sat in front somewhat squeezed between Rick and Jonathan. Closing her eyes Angela sighed and slowly fell into dreamland , the sounds of the world fading away in the distance of her mind. Suddenly the car braked, causing her to open her eyes, where she found herself looking at a bazaar, full of people trading and arguing about how much some thing cost.  
  
"Uh, where are we?" she asked curiously.  
  
"O'Connell and Evie decided to get a few things for the trip, you know the basic stuff, like food and other supplies you may need for a picnic" Jonathan replied as he looked around at the tumultuous chaos of people.  
  
"Oh ok, well while they're doing that...I'm going to explore a bit" she said..."I won't take long"  
  
Hopping out of the car, she walked across the narrow street to where more merchants were selling trinkets, figs, dates and many other exotic spices. While looking at some of the trinkets, she felt a slight tug at her dress. As she looked down she saw a young boy of about 10 looking up at her innocently.  
  
"Oh!! where did you come from?" she asked in Hebrew. "How can I help you?"  
  
"Please, I must quickly tell you that a man wishes to speak with you...he is around that corner and he says that it is very urgent that he have a word with you" the boy replied uneasily, in the same language.  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"I do not know, miss, he did not show his face, he is all covered up" the boy answered. "and now I must go"  
  
"No wait!!" Angela called out, but it was too late...the boy was gone in a flash.  
  
Returning her attention to the alleyway the boy had pointed out to her, she slowly walked towards it, stopping suddenly wondering if it indeed was the right thing to do. Curiosity always got the best of her and she continued towards it. As she got close though, a hand reached out from behind the wall and grabbed her, covering her mouth in the process.  
  
"Where is Angela?" Rick asked, as he put some small baskets of fruit and bread into the trunk of the car.  
  
"She said she was going to take a look around". Jonathan replied  
  
"Oh Rick, don't worry, I'm sure she got caught up in the hustle and bustle of the trade bazaar or something, she'll be here any moment now" Evelyn said reassuringly.  
  
At that very moment Angela found herself looking into the eyes of her worst nightmare...a corpse, skin sickly gray, but clearly with the strength to hold her tightly against the wall. To her it was as if hell had sent one of it's best soldiers to wage war and chaos in the world of the living.  
  
"You must be Isiria" the figure said slyly.  
  
Angela only stared at him in horror, unable to move an inch.  
  
"My master told me so much about you"  
  
Angela tried to calm down and speak but could only mumble under the decaying hand. The corpse removed it's hand from her mouth and let her speak.  
  
"You speak English?" the shocked young woman asked  
  
"Yes" replied the corpse "I speak English"  
  
He looked her up and down and smiled (and Angela never recalled seeing such a nasty smile)  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, horrified at the sight.  
  
"That is not important, I came looking for you because my master Imhotep had sent me to find you and to tell you that he loves you and that he wishes to see you again, but this time without any interruptions"  
  
"Uh,ok...anything else?" Angela asked nervously.  
  
"Oh! and he wanted me to give you this" the corpse said, taking out a ring with an emerald scarab on it. "He says that with time you shall remember and recognize what it means"  
  
Cautiously, Angela took it out of his hand and slipped it on...wow it was beautiful indeed.  
  
"Now I must go, but remember to meet him...he will be waiting for you in the same place as always"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Where else? your quarters at Fort Brydon"  
  
Angela quickly turned and walked out of the alleyway suddenly realizing that Rick and the rest of the gang was waiting for her. Sure enough as she looked in their direction across the street...she saw all three waiting in the car.  
  
"Angela! come on or we'll miss the boat!!" Rick called out to her.  
  
"Coming, Rick!!!" Angela called back..."Hold on a sec!"  
  
She ran across the street and jumped into the backseat. "Sorry I took so long, something got my attention"  
  
"Well, what kept you?" Rick asked  
  
"Um, well I was trying to do a bit of shopping back at the bazaar, you know how it gets there, all crowded and stuff...once you buy something from someone, everyone literally ambushes you with more stuff asking you to buy it as well!!"  
  
"Well, from the looks of it, it seems that you bought something" Rick said, pointing to the ring on her right index finger.  
  
"Oh this! yes I did buy this there I fell in love with it when I first saw it on the stand...isn't it beautiful"  
  
"My god this must have cost you a fortune, being an emerald and all, plus it's pure gold!! how did you afford it!"  
  
"Uh, well you see I had a bit of cash stashed up and I decided to buy myself something"  
  
"Hey Angela, you told me you didn't have any money" Jonathan said suddenly.  
  
"I know, but at that time I hardly knew you...so I wasn't about to tell that I had money" Angela said.  
  
"OK, OK enough arguing let's go" Rick said carelessly.  
  
Jonathan shrugged and stepped on the gas pedal, sending the car into the street.. saying as he did... "Giza Port here we come!!"  
  
"So that girl knows Rick I can't believe this...it's perfect, Rick and his friends all here.. and oh how they'll pay for leaving me in Hamunaptra" Beni said to himself, as he peered out from the alleyway. "Because of them I ended up like this...they will pay...though I still wonder what is she doing with them?.. I wonder"  
  
Without another thought he slowly disintegrated himself into nothing but sand letting the wind carry him away.  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"What!!!! so you're telling me that they left early this morning!" David shouted angrily.  
  
"Yes sir, the Carnarvons and the O'Connells have left for today...I don't know where but I saw them leave in the Dusenberg" a young cadet said... "about an hour or so ago"  
  
"When they come, please notify me, OK? I would very much appreciate it" David said giving the cadet his card and the hotel phone number.  
  
"OK sir, I will try to notify you as soon as possible"  
  
"See that you do" David said  
  
Without another word he shook hands with the cadet and walked out of the fort, pausing only a moment.  
  
"Where could they have gone to?" he thought.  
  
*~~~Giza Port~~~*  
  
The Nile with it's two, large branches: the Blue and the White...was the longest river in the world and the only one that the group had ever heard of that flowed up north. Under the hot, dry midday sun, the Nile lay like a bolt of shimmering silk a few shades deeper than the nearby cloudless sky, spiked by he pyramids across the sky. On the rivers placid surface, graceful little boats glided, carrying passengers and cargo, sails spread like the white wings of a dove. The peacefulness of this view was negated by the bustle of the two adjoining docks of the all busy, yet interesting Giza Port, where both tourist and explorers were pushing through the multitude of turbaned men and women in their shawls and nightshirt-like robes, hawkers peddling King Tut stuff and beggars asking people to give them what they could spare.  
  
Getting out of the car, Rick and Jonathan carried the baskets out of the trunk and put them down on the floor by the car.  
  
"Wow this is so interesting!!..just imagine, I can't believe this! I'm actually here.. in Giza Port!" Angela said happily.  
  
"Nothing to be excited about here sis, believe me the fun is on the boat, just wait" Rick said.  
  
"I know, but I mean, I've never been here and this is all like a dream" she replied.  
  
"I understand" Rick answered. Hearing the horn blow on the steamer he picked the baskets and said "OK, well that's our signal, we better get on or they'll leave without us"  
  
Jonathan picked up the rest of the small supply bags and walked to the steamer with Rick and Angela. Evelyn slowly walked behind them, her mind still seeing the image of Angela's ring...it was very pretty yet something about it wasn't right, a ring such as that was priceless and was never sold to any one, which made her wonder more about it.  
  
The steamer had a glorified passenger barge with two decks, the lower one having a bar, thirty cabins and a parlor, the upper one was an open area arranged with chairs and small tables under the sun so passengers could watch the green and tan scenery glide by. The ship slowly pulled out after everyone had gotten on board.  
  
Angela sat down and looked at the river just as Jonathan set his stuff down by her.  
  
"Isn't it beautiful" she asked.  
  
"Very" Jonathan said, suddenly catching the attention of Rick who managed to see him staring at Angela.  
  
O'Connell stood at the rail about five feet from Jonathan and watched the sun stare back at itself from the surface of the iridescent Nile, the desert on either bank, a smooth tan. Moments like these reminded him why he had left his aunt's house in New York and especially his home in Chicago and gone looking for adventure and thrill. They also reminded him about how much he had missed his sister and fought to stay by her side.  
  
"Rick, what are you thinking about?" Angela finally asked, breaking him out of concentration.  
  
Rick turned to face her and smiled "Just thinking how great it is to have you back, that's all"  
  
Angela smiled slightly and stood up, walking over to him. As she put her arm around his shoulder she leaned on him.  
  
"I'm glad to have you back too" she said..."I love you"  
  
"Um, sorry for the interruption, but where's Evie?" Jonathan asked.  
  
Everyone looked at each other questionably, as if asking each other only with their eyes.. Where was Evelyn?.  
  
"I'm sure she must be taking a good look at the ship, and if there is a library on board then I'm sure she's there" Angela said, pausing for a moment..."Isn't she?"  
  
"Well, I'll go look for her" Jonathan said anxiously. "Maybe she felt sick or something"  
  
"All right, catch you later!" Angela called out as Jonathan walked away.  
  
"OK Angela! catch you later!"..Jonathan called out as rounded the corner.  
  
Angela turned to face the railing by Rick and asked "So where do you think Evelyn can be? I mean she couldn't have gone far.. what do you think?"  
  
"I don't know. I just hope nothing is wrong"  
  
"Yeah, me too...well we'll know as soon as Jonathan comes back"  
  
The desert breeze wasn't just warm, but hot, which made it for a typical day in Egypt and Jonathan discovered that Evelyn had the lower deck to herself. The sun was so bright and Evie was sitting beside a wicker table where her cup of water rested, she was lost in thought. He tapped her shoulder and she jumped, startled.  
  
He sat down at a chair across from her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you"  
  
"Don't worry about it" Evelyn responded.  
  
"So what were you thinking about?"  
  
"Well Jonathan, I was thinking about that ring Angela has...it is a beautiful piece of jewelry and all but there is no way that she could have gotten that at the bazaar and for only a couple hundred dollars"  
  
"Well, where do you think she got it from?" Jonathan asked curiously.  
  
"I don't know but I have a big feeling that it wasn't from the bazaar"  
  
"Oh Evelyn it's only your mind playing games with you, you're still paranoid over Imhotep and Hamunaptra...there is no way that Angela has ties with them...ok other than me seeing him with her, but maybe he was trying to hurt her! so the ring can't be anything bad"  
  
"No, something honestly tells me that Angela is hiding something from us".  
  
Arching an eyebrow, peering over his shoulder to make sure no one was around, Jonathan asked.... "So what do you think she's hiding?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but whenever I speak about Imhotep or the plagues she gets restive, ever since the day I showed her the picture of Isiria"  
  
"Well maybe she fears him and prefers not to talk about something she's afraid of...but I suppose certain precautions are necessary"  
  
"We have to find out what is wrong with her and we must solve this problem with Imhotep once and for all...we can't just have him running around killing innocent people and developing infatuations with every woman that he sees"  
  
"Yes you're right, dear sis....you're right"  
  
*~~~Cairo Museum of Antiquities~~~*  
  
Seated behind his desk in his neatly organized cubbyhole office, Hanan, was using a jewelers eyepiece as he examined a small bracelet dated back to the New Kingdom, sighing he put it down and leaned back in his chair.  
  
All of a sudden the door swung open and in stepped Vinnie and another young man that Hanan had never seen before. Closing the door behind him, Vinnie smiled and sat down on a small couch and said....."My friend would like to have a word with you, if you don't mind"  
  
"Not at all, please sit down" Hanan said as he signaled Lewis to sit.  
  
"Mr. Dmoen, my name is Lewis Calabar and well, I'm here to speak to you about the artifacts that my fiancée, Angela O'Connell, has in her possession, a person has informed me that they are things that can cause end of the world if ever used unwisely, what are they? If I may know" Lewis asked inquisitively.  
  
Hanan seemed rather shaken all of a sudden by Lewis' statement, but only for a moment. He smiled and laughed, shaking his head.  
  
"My dear boy, whoever told you such a thing?" Hanan asked. "I'm surprised at you, you seem like a very intelligent, young man, What ever they told you were lies and myths...normally stories here in Cairo are just told by people to amuse Greek and Roman tourists"  
  
"Lets not confuse the myth of Hamunaptra, doctor, after all it turned out to be real, I should know...I was there".  
  
"OK fine, from what your friend has told me, so was your fiancée, it appears she has a few things we want back" Hanan said sternly.  
  
"We? As in who?" Vinnie suddenly asked.  
  
"The people at the museum of course and my good friend, Ardeth Bay" Hanan answered.  
  
"I want to know what they are, you see, I do not want to be responsible for the end of the civilization, in fact all I want is my fiancée, so we can finally be married...that's all"  
  
"Your fiancée has the Book of the Dead and the key which opens it, so far we know that, that is all she has in her possession. She has released a demon from the depths of hell that will destroy us all in a matter of time if not stopped....the book contains all the spells of the Old Kingdom, that is why we want it back...so that it does not fall once again into the wrong hands"  
  
Lewis smiled slightly and turned towards Vinnie..."So then what you said was true?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, everything" Vinnie answered.  
  
Turning back towards Hanan, Lewis said calmly "Well then I'm willing to help you, I know where she is and I have sent someone she trusts to see her, I am sure she will gladly hand over the artifacts without hesitance"  
  
"Well, Mr. Calabar don't be too confident, you see she's already proven twice that she does not want to have anything to do with us...which in turn may mean that she isn't willing to give us those things without a fight" Hanan answered earnestly.  
  
"Hanan, we guarantee you'll have the book here on your desk sooner than you expect" Vinnie said confidently.  
  
"Let us hope so because if we don't get the book here and the creature gets possession of it we are all doomed to a fiery and very painful death...if he doesn't and your fiancée is unwilling to give to us still we will have no choice but to get rid of her"  
  
"Well with that said we must be going now" Lewis said, standing up as he did. "and thank you once again, without that information we may have never known how dangerous those things are, good bye"  
  
"Good bye Mr. Calabar, and may Allah watch over you both...you will need his guidance" Hanan said, his voice trailing off at mid-sentence.  
  
Lewis nodded and both he and Vinnie walked out of his office, shutting the door softly as they did.  
  
"So do you think that those things are worthless now, Lewis?". Vinnie asked.  
  
"No, in fact a thought just sprung into my head...David wants to be an all powerful tyrant, he'll get that power if the book is in his hands, he'll kill any who try to stop him in the process and get Angela as well....damn bastard"  
  
"What do you plan on doing?"  
  
"I'm not giving him the book, like I said...as soon as Angela is in my possession I shall take the Book to a dealer and get a good amount of money for it, that's all, now lets go and whatever you do don't mention any of this to David"  
  
"Don't worry Lewis, I won't say anything"  
  
They put their coats on and walked out of the museum...suddenly fear was something common in their minds....and that led to much more dangerous things.  
  
Chapter 12...  
  
*~~~The steamer, Tigris~~~*  
  
"How long until we arrive in Luxor?" Angela asked.  
  
"We'll be there in another day in a half or so, god Jonathan is taking awhile in finding Evelyn, I wonder what's the matter with her" Rick said uneasily.  
  
"Rick, Jonathan just must be talking to her somewhere, who know? I'm sure he'll show up with her sooner or later"  
  
"Yeah, well I guess we should just wait a little longer"  
  
"Well, while we're at it, why don't we see if we can throw these pebbles far enough like we use to back in Lake Michigan? It'll bring back old memories" Angela said, as she took out a handful of small pebbles that she had in her pocket.  
  
"Where did you get those?" Rick asked curiously.  
  
"Funny you should ask....I got them back in London, I would usually use them to aim at Lewis' head whenever he got on my nerves....these are what I had left"  
  
"Well then, hand some of those over...you know I can beat you at this"  
  
"Oh really!! lets see you try then, Rick"  
  
Rick took a pebble and threw it as far away as he could, it landed about half way between the boat and the river bank. He turned back to face Angela and smiled confidently.  
  
"Let's see you throw it farther" he said mockingly.  
  
"Ok here goes" Angela said as she backed up. Thrusting forward, the pebble went flying out landing with a small splash just ahead of where Rick's had landed.  
  
"So who's the good one now" she asked with a grin.  
  
"Ok big shot, two more rounds and we'll see who wins"  
  
"Fine but you know I'm going to beat you"  
  
"Oh yeah I'm sure, Angela....keep dreaming"  
  
"Well here then let's see you throw it"  
  
"Ok, you're on"  
  
As wound up for the throw he noticed suddenly that Angela was staring out into the river with a look of astonishment on her face...or was it fear?  
  
"Uh Angela, I haven't thrown it yet" he said  
  
"I know, Rick come here, take a look at this"  
  
Rick slipped the pebble in his pocket and walked over to the railing where Angela was standing and he paused to look at her.  
  
"What is it" he asked "What has you so damn spooked"  
  
Angela stared out and didn't answer she only pointed to the edge of the river. Rick looked in the direction of the river and stared out, suddenly staggering back as he held on to Angela's arm. The river was slowly turning to blood, the blood appeared to be seeping slowly as it drifted all throughout the river...filling it in a matter of minutes. A sick feeling clenched Rick's stomach, not nausea of the sight of blood all around the water, but the realization that if one those plagues was here then...  
  
"He's gotta be here"  
  
"Who?" Angela asked in shock.  
  
"Your three thousand year old buddy, that's who"  
  
"Then that's honestly....blood"  
  
"Yes, oh my god...it can't be"  
  
"The rivers and waters of Egypt ran red.... and were as...blood" Angela said solemnly  
  
"Damn it!!!!" Rick growled as he backed away. "We have to find Evelyn and Jonathan before that damn mummy does"  
  
As they ran down the corridor into what was a sunny afternoon, they found people standing on the rails, gathering in bunches, murmuring in wonder at this sudden change in the color of the river. Running down the stair case leading to the cabins they both spotted a spooked Evelyn walking towards them with her purse in one hand and a book in the other, Jonathan tagging along, staying as close as possible.  
  
"Rick, what is going on?" Evelyn asked "Has anyone been killed? Is Imhotep around?"  
  
"I don't know where he is!!! but what I do know is that if we don't get out of sight we're all in grave danger" Rick answered.  
  
"Uh, hate to add another gram to the already unbalanced scale but what the hell are those horrible things?!!!" Angela asked frantically.  
  
Looking at the river, all four watched in horror as out of the red river, small jumping creatures came ribeting as they came popped out. Hordes and hordes of slimy awful frogs came onto the boat, where a sudden burst of chaos began.  
  
"Two plagues!!! in five minutes!!!!" Angela said, doing her best to regain composure. "That doesn't make any sense!!"  
  
Everyone suddenly stared at her as if she had all of a sudden struck a brass plate in their face.  
  
"She has a point, there can only be one plague at a time because it's only one guy doing all of this and not even Imhotep has the power to do a double whammy" Rick said in agreement. "Plus he would have to have killed a few people in order to do so"  
  
"Unless there's two, but it can't be possible" Evelyn responded a bit confounded.  
  
"Well, lets figure this out inside the parlor, shall we?" Jonathan said urgently as he kicked frogs away from himself.  
  
O'Connell nodded and said "Come on!!!" grabbing Evelyn's hand and she followed his lead, Angela and Jonathan tagging after. They raced across the corridor, up the stairs, and into the parlor.  
  
As they scurried in, Angela stopped and looked at the river to see if she could see anything. Rick sensed it and he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, dragging her through the door as he slammed it behind him.  
  
"Ok, now all we have to do is calm down and think of what we're going to do, we're all sitting ducks on this boat and the last thing we want is to let Imhotep know we're here" Rick said as paced around the room.  
  
Evelyn and Jonathan sat on the couch and stared blankly at him and Angela, well, she was looking longingly out the small window...towards the riverbank, sighing about every ten seconds.  
  
"Well, since no one can think of anything I guess I'll have to go look for him, or at least give him the signal as to where I am" Rick said frustratingly. "Then you guys can get away by other means"  
  
Angela closed her eyes and put her hand to her neck, where the Necklace of Isis was safely tucked away under her blouse. "I think I know a way to make the plagues stop" she suddenly said. "Or at least die down a bit".  
  
Suddenly everyone's attention was focused on her, and she felt a sudden chill go down her back.  
  
Jonathan smiled softly and stood up "Well tell us what to do and we'll do it...what's the plan?"  
  
"Um, well, it doesn't involve any of you, it only involves me...you see I also forgot to mention to you guys that at the dig, I uh, found something"  
  
"Damn" O'Connell breathed. "Just when I figured things couldn't get any worse"  
  
Angela took the necklace off and without saying another word she ran out of the parlor.  
  
"Angela! come back here!" Rick shouted as he ran after her, Jonathan and Evelyn took off after him as well, trailing behind as they ran behind him.  
  
Angela was now running on the starboard side of the ship where the walk way along the rail was clogged with bewildered passengers- the blood was still there and so were the hordes of frogs, now jumping everywhere the eye could see.  
  
"Head for the stern" Angela thought as she ran.  
  
"We have to find my sister!" Rick said frantically, as he glanced around.  
  
"Well, Rick, if you haven't noticed we're stuck on a bloody ship!" Jonathan said crossly "There is nowhere to go...and I doubt she'd jump into the blood!"  
  
The way to the stern was not clogged with the mob, instead it was empty. Angela noticed as she made her way to the railing and climbed over it.  
  
Rick looked into the stern's direction and quickly guided Evelyn and Jonathan as he kept his eyes focused on his sister who was standing on the edge of the stern, eyes closed. She was afraid to look down and see the blood flowing under her. Her mind in the meantime was enveloped in a clear, glass like state, serene as the Nile itself. Leaning forward as she held on with one hand to the railing she opened her eyes and stretched her arm out in from of her, the necklace dangling from her fingertips.  
  
"I hope this works" Angela thought anxiously. "Please make it work"  
  
"What is she doing?" Evelyn asked uneasily.  
  
"I have no clue but I'm getting her away from there!" Rick said as he rushed over to her.  
  
Meanwhile Angela focused her mind on the inscription and her eyes slowly scanned the exquisitely rendered hieratic.. lips moving as she read to herself, but wanting to hear the words compelled, somehow to speak them out loud.  
  
"Goddess Isis, evil has spread beyond the regions of the netherworld, at once you vanquish it with the force of millions, Seth has come and you and your son shall prevail...vanquish the evil, vanquish the darkness" she read.  
  
As she spoke the words, Angela heard a loud hissing as if she had awaken a cradle full of snakes. Not liking the sound of that she turned herself around and started to climb over the rail, startled, chilled with fear at the thought of what she had done.  
  
"Oh-damn, what the hell is that?" Rick asked, dazed and stopping in his tracks as he did.  
  
The answer to that question was immediate: the hissing sound filled their ears as all around them a loud wind began to blow, turning into a gust. With the sound like that of an angry siren coming to seek revenge on her enemies.  
  
Angela froze as she felt the boat rock with the force of the wind. A sudden gust though blew through, catching her by surprise, hard enough for her to let go of the railing and topple head first into the blood water. Landing with a screaming splash. The water or was it still blood? was freezing; shocking her, chilling her body to the bone even as her mind wondered how a desert river could be so damn cold. As she surfaced, gasping for air, she looked around her and realized that she was soaked in blood!  
  
"No! god damn it! it didn't work!!" Angela thought, heedless of the blood surrounding her. "It didn't work!!"  
  
As she looked ahead of her though she saw the choppy river slowly turning back to water. A sudden moment of ease went through her and she smiled happily.  
  
"Yes, it worked!! It worked!!" she shouted joyfully as she struggled to stay afloat.  
  
On board Rick and Jonathan had ran up the railing after seeing her fall in as Evelyn had ran to seek help. The two looked down at Angela and felt a feeling of relief go through them.  
  
"Angela! are you OK?" Rick shouted.  
  
"UH, O'Connell take a look at that!" Jonathan said, stunned at the amazing sight of the blood slowly disappearing as well as the frogs who were now hopping back in and vanishing into the river.. leaving everything as if it had never happened.  
  
Rick directed his attention to the part of the river ahead of the boat and suddenly smiled as he saw the river turn back to normal. "Wow she did it!! she really stopped the plagues!" he said happily.  
  
"Uh, hello? you guys? I could use a bit of help right now, if it's not too much trouble!!" Angela called out anxiously. "Please!".  
  
"Ok hold on, sis" Rick said as he took a rope off of a small crate and tied it to the railing.  
  
After tightening it, Rick then tossed the railings down into the water. He slung on his backpack made sure once more if the rope was secure. "Ok Angela, it's ready" he said assuring.  
  
Angela smiled and swam over to the boat, stroking smoothly as she did. Soon she was struggling to climb up the rope, trembling from the cold breeze as she did. Her clothes clung to her skin as she climbed over the railing and stood up, it didn't even occur to her that her every physical attributes was on display...at least not until she saw some men, including a very stunned Jonathan, standing there with their mouths open as they drank and dreamed in the sight of her.  
  
Wringing her clothes out, she strictly said "I suggest you fools get your mind out of the gutter I don't appreciate being the object of your dark fantasies!"  
  
Rick smiled and put his coat on her. "Come on sis, let's go to the parlor....Jonathan! get your self over here...now!" he said softly at first but changing his tone of voice at mid-sentence.  
  
Jonathan slightly jumped at the realization of what he and the other men had just been doing and he quickly regained composure. "Bloody hell! didn't you hear the girl! what's the big idea!". he said commandingly. "Bug off!"  
  
Then turning back around he walked bemusedly after Rick and Angela.  
  
"How did you make the plagues disappear?" Rick asked curiously "I mean, it's impossible for a human to do that, without any supernatural thing involved"  
  
"Well, Rick, it was my Necklace of Isis, that did all the work, but unfortunately I lost it when I fell in to the river, it was so odd the way it worked though...all I did was read the inscription and in a flash everything started to happen! I can't believe I lost it though"  
  
Rick put his arm around her and let her lean on him. "I'm sorry" he said "but at least you stopped the plagues"  
  
"Yeah that's true, oh well, I guess I'll never see it again"  
  
"You'll never see what again?" Jonathan suddenly asked.  
  
Angela turned towards him and smiled softly. "My necklace of Isis"  
  
"Oh this thing?" Jonathan said as he pulled the necklace out of his coat pocket.  
  
"How did you? Oh my god! Jonathan where did you find it!" Angela asked.  
  
"I think you dropped it as you fell in and it happened to land on the edge of the stern.. so I just picked it up". Jonathan responded. "Here you go"  
  
Angela took the necklace, slipped it on and sighed. An excited smile blossomed on her face as Rick and Jonathan, on either side of her, watched her. Continuing on, they entered an area where the corridor widened and turned into the parlor, pausing for a second before walking in.  
  
There they found Evelyn, slumped d in a chair as they made their way inside. Jonathan sat down on a chair next to her as Rick sat on the small sofa.  
  
"I went for help, but I guess from the looks of things, I was a bit late" Evelyn suddenly said.  
  
"Don't worry about it, we really didn't need anyone else" Rick said. "Angela would have made it out by other means...if we couldn't have reached her on time, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Yes, I would have" Angela said softly "So now what do we do?" asking as she sat by the small fireplace that was burning brightly with the warm glow of the fire.  
  
"Well, we're continuing on to Luxor, that's what we're doing" Rick said confidently "and if anything comes up, well let's just say that it's not, we'll beat the hell out of what ever evil it is... because no dead son of a bitch is going to ruin our outing".  
  
Evelyn smiled and stood up "Well I'm going to go downstairs and check it out, the boat seems pretty nice, so I'm going to take a good look at it.. it's best if we stay calm and find something to keep our minds off of this horrid thing"  
  
"I'm going with you" Rick said. "I need to get a bit of air...Angela, will you be all right?"  
  
"Yes Rick, I will...don't worry I don't plan on falling off of the boat again or trying to see how far my necklace will fly"  
  
"Ohhhh Angela, I didn't mean that, I just want to know if you'll be ok, feelings wise"  
  
"Yeah, go on.. take a look of the ship, as soon as I get myself dried off I'll try and catch up with you guys"  
  
"Ok, aren't you going to get dressed in some dry clothing? and Jonathan what do you plan on doing?" Rick then asked sternly  
  
Angela shook her head "Listen, I need some time to think...so I'll just let the warmth of the fire dry me off"  
  
Jonathan had just looked up at Rick innocently and smiled "Well, um, I'm going to go with you two, yes! that is what my plan is"  
  
"OK then come on, Jonathan" Evelyn said.  
  
They all started for the door when suddenly Jonathan stopped and turned towards Angela who was at the moment looking at the fire in a hypnotized stare.  
  
"Angela? um, will you be all right alone...in here?" he asked cheeringly "If you want I can stay"  
  
Angela only shook her head not at all looking at him or ever saying a single word. She remained staring at the fire. Jonathan sighed and walked out, shutting the door softly behind his back.  
  
"Well, I'm going to the dining room if you two don't mind" Jonathan said seriously, before turning and walking off.. leaving Rick and Evelyn with surprised looks on their faces.  
  
"Come on Evelyn, let's go, we need to figure out a way to stop Imhotep...permanently" Rick said. "He can't be a tyrant over our lives...we have to find a way to destroy him and his creatures, but how?"  
  
"Wait a second!! didn't Angela say she had a way to stop him?" Evelyn asked .  
  
"Not him exactly...though I wish it did, her necklace basically only stops or weakens the plagues that he causes, now come on I'll explain the entire story downstairs...no matter what, we have to ' keep him from getting near my sister while trying to find the solution...I don't even what to imagine what could happen if he got his hands on her "  
  
"I agree Rick, we must think of plan to stop Imhotep, now let's go...we'll need all the help we can get" 


	5. For The Love of One

Title: Imhotep's Obsession (Chapters 13,14,and 15)  
  
Author: Darlene Evelyn  
  
Feedback: Please let me know what you think but please don't be rude.  
  
Copyright: All Characters from both TM and TMR except for the new ones of course, which are mine are sole property of Universal Pictures. No profit is being made with this story.  
  
Chapter 13....  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
"No word yet on the O'Connells and the Carnarvons?" David asked insistently.  
  
"No sir, please I don't have time to tend to this matter... I must be going or the regime will leave without me!" the young cadet said, trying to evade him.  
  
"Oh fine! You can go!! I'll figure out a way to find out where they've gone to"  
  
"Sir, didn't you just tell me a moment ago that you were going back to your hotel? I told you that I'd notify you as soon as I got news of their arrival"  
  
"Yes, you did tell me, but I can't wait!!!, Oh....ok I'm leaving...I'm truly sorry for taking up your time, anyway thanks for your help and again just call me if anything comes up"  
  
"I'll that message with the guards, sir"  
  
"Thank you" David murmured before finally walking out of the fort and to his car. Looking up at the sky in frustration he suddenly shouted "Angela! Where are you?!" catching the attention of everyone around him. "I'm going to find you even if it's the last thing I do!"  
  
He got into his car, slammed the door and drove off. "It can't take her long to return...I'm sure she'll be back in a few hours, in the meantime I'll go hang out in my room, for what little good that'll do me"  
  
*~~~Ship, The Tigris~~~*  
  
Angela sat against the railings of the boat, hands wrapped around the rail for security. She stared glumly out into the murky water, almost mesmerized by the sound and the movement of it. The shouts and laughter that passed by her seemed to always annoy her, but she paid them no attention. Rick and Evelyn were around the ship somewhere, they came back and forth every so often, checking on her to see how she was doing. She never moved a bit. Evelyn was getting tired of trying to get Angela to eat lunch, then dinner. Rick became as frustrated as she was, but he knew anger and shouting would only make the situation worse, that left him out of the situation. The doors of the corridor leading down to the dining room once more opened and Angela once more paid no attention to it....it was Evelyn.  
  
"It's getting late and quite cold now isn't it, Angela? How are you feeling? Do you want anything? Please tell me" Evelyn tried to make some kind of eye contact with her, but it was as if she were in another land far from there, unable to hear a word Evelyn was saying.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Angela stared at her. Evelyn was remarkably beautiful considering she spent more time in the library and museum than in front of the mirror. Rick was lucky to have a girl like her.  
  
"Oh Angela, I see you, come on now...talk to me" Evelyn said as she smiled at her.  
  
"Hey there! can I join you two extremely beautiful ladies?" a voice said suddenly  
  
Evelyn looked up, startled. Rick stood before the table with a grin and a handful of almonds. Evelyn smiled and shifted over to the chair closer to the rails.  
  
"Of course" Evie responded  
  
Rick complied with a nod and sat down. He displayed his hand to Evelyn whom took a small handful.  
  
"Has she moved at all?" he asked softly  
  
"No, not an inch." Evelyn replied. "She hasn't even blinked."  
  
Rick sighed and stared at Angela for a moment "So where is Jonathan? I haven't seen him all afternoon? What is he up to?"  
  
"I don't know, I haven't seen him...I think he's in the parlor, either that or in the bar, I'm going to go check on him" she replied, before getting up and walking away.  
  
"See you later" Rick called out.  
  
Turning back towards Angela, he saw that she was still staring blankly at the water. Rick couldn't take it anymore and he took out a small handgun, pointed it up into the air and fired two shots. Cracking the tenseness of the moment, showering the table with wood chips; Angela gasped and nearly fell out of her chair in shock.  
  
"Sorry sis, didn't mean to disturb you're endless meditation" Rick said as he put his gun back into it's holster, with a slight smile.  
  
Sitting up straight, she said coldly "The only thing that disturbs me, Rick...is your lack of respect for other people's tranquility"  
  
He glared at her. "I'm sorry that I'm trying to be a good brother, that's what I'm sorry about...what the hell is wrong with you, Angela? Why the sudden change of mood?".  
  
She returned her attention to the river and Rick was now infuriatingly annoyed at her rude action.  
  
"Angela! I'm talking to you!!"  
  
"What?" she drearily answered  
  
"Please Angela, you haven't eaten anything please have some almonds" he held his open hand closely to Angela.  
  
Rick was pleading in his mind, she hadn't eaten anything all day. And his hopes suddenly collapsed of making contact when she shook her head and turned away. Rick shrugged in frustration and leaned on the rail beside her.  
  
"We'll have reached Luxor by tomorrow morning" Rick then announced.  
  
"Oh good!!" Angela smiled excitedly "We'll check out the site first thing and get down to checking out every square inch of the ruins! I want to see the city and the artifacts they've gathered!"  
  
"Oh great" Rick rolled his eyes and threw the rest of the almonds into his mouth. "So what do you think Luxor is like?"  
  
"I think it'll be quite beautiful" a voice said from behind.  
  
They both looked up in unison to find Jonathan and Evelyn.  
  
"So where were you?" Angela asked curiously.  
  
"Well, I was wasting time in the dining room that's all...oh by the way I brought you this" Jonathan replied as he handed her a bowl of clear spicy soup, rice and a small plate of roast lamb with mint sauce.  
  
"Thank you" she said softly.  
  
"Oh don't mention it, I was starting to worry about you so I decided to bring you this, I hope it's ok"  
  
Evelyn was quiet for a moment, as if in thought. She burst out laughing. "Well, now I see it! the little girl; thinks she needs to act a bit childish in order to get attention!"  
  
Rick laughed with suddenly. They both looked into the darkened skies, taking in air. Rick felt very strange about Egypt, as if something just as bad was going happen all over again. The mystery of Egypt was indeed captivating, but if you get too deeply involved, you're in for very serious trouble. While amidst in thought, Rick's eyes shifted over to Angela, he wasn't sure she was starting to become a bit moody, terrifyingly silent, little brat a little too often,but she still was his one and only little sister...and to tell you truth that was good reason to act childish. Then he feared for Evelyn...she had almost died last year!! He couldn't help but feel the suspense of something happening again...because after the a year...Imhotep wasn't dead!!!!  
  
"Do you think Imhotep knows we're here?" Rick wondered out loud directing it to Evelyn.  
  
"No, I don't think he does...I think he would have made it known, other than the plagues" she responded.  
  
In the meantime Angela was digging in to her dinner, the food was excellent!! She wolfed it down greedily and at one point Jonathan laughed.  
  
"Good god, Angela! You were hungry!"  
  
Angela paused and blushed bright red from embarrassment and then returned to her bowl of soup.  
  
"Well, enjoy the rest of you're dinner and if you'll excuse me I'm going to bed" Jonathan said calmly as he stood up and walked away. "Good night"  
  
"Good night" everyone called in unison.  
  
"So Evelyn, um, what are we going to do about Imhotep? you told me that you had a plan and I'd like to know as soon as possible what it is" Rick said insistently.  
  
Angela suddenly stood up and stared at them both for a moment before turning and leaving, slamming her chair in as she did. "Good night to you both, may your conscience be peaceful.... sweet dreams". Angela said coldly. "You'll need them".  
  
Both Rick and Evelyn felt a cold chill down their backs, then a gust of wind swept through, sounding like a ghostly groan, blowing sand, stirring the river, ripping at their clothing, damn near knocking the boat to one side. Rick swallowed and as the boat rocked and slowly balanced itself again, he exchanged wary looks with Evelyn. She waved him off, giggling nervously  
  
"Don't worry Rick...I'm sure it was nothing to worry about, you know how crazy the weather is here in Egypt, this is practically a normal thing" she said.  
  
Rick, his expression gloomy all of a sudden, said "Well Evelyn, I don't know about you, but that wind didn't sound...how should I say it? 'normal' and frankly I'm not staying out here for another second... I'm going to bed"  
  
"But it's only seven fifteen!"  
  
"I don't care...I'm going, you can stay here or tag along with me...it's your choice"  
  
"Oh all right, I'll go with you...I need a good night sleep anyway"  
  
He smiled slightly and they walked downstairs to their separate cabins, small ones but very comfortable, at that...not mention they had been lucky enough to have all four cabins next to each others. Two connected to each other in case of a problem.  
  
As they walked downstairs towards the cabins they could see that both Jonathan and Angela's cabins were dark...both had indeed gone to bed. After bidding good night to Evelyn. Rick walked into his cabin and shut the door behind him. Why did Angela respond so coldly when he had asked Evelyn about Imhotep? Why did she seem to become possessed? he thought as he lay down in his bed.  
  
Before he could answer those two questions he drifted off to sleep. Angela's words echoing in his head..... "sweet dreams....you'll need them".  
  
Evelyn now in her room, in the glow of the kerosene lamp on her nightstand was studying her reflection in the mirror of the dressing table, where she was seated...she sighed and stood up, crawled into bed and fell asleep..."sweet dreams"  
  
Jonathan aroused from a deep sleep, a murmuring voice in the next room pulling him out of it. He didn't bother opening his eyes and he rolled over on his side trying to ignore it. He was tired, stressed out, he didn't want to have anything to do with the real world for this night. The murmuring kept on going and of course it was preventing him from falling back to sleep again. Jonathan sighed unknowingly and opened his sleepy eyes. It didn't hit him that Angela was still talking on until he slowly opened the door connected to her room and saw her placid body lying in the bed asleep. He stared at her for a moment, confused...had he been hearing things?  
  
"Angela?" he called out softly, then he cleared his throat, noticing it's hoarse sound.  
  
Angela's still body remained still and the chanting continued. Jonathan rubbed his chin in thought and tried to focus on what she was saying. The words sounded so familiar, but they didn't appear to be spoken in English. He continued to listen, and when it became too difficult he walked closer to her. Without any sound, he came forward, and stood there. Now the words came into focus. And when they did, Jonathan's heart stopped dead cold.  
  
"O thou who art motionless, O thou who art still, O thou whose life was cursed..."  
  
Jonathan's mind translated the ancient language as fast as he could, his heart racing in his chest wildly.  
  
"like those of Osiris, thy shall arise"  
  
Jonathan flipped out. He didn't know what to say, his mouth merely hung open. His body was shaking wildly as he backed into the door. He turned abruptly grabbing the door knob, throwing open the door into the hallway and he pressed himself against the door next to Angela's room, knocking on it violently as if some madman were after him.  
  
"Rick!" he said loudly enough for him to hear.  
  
The door finally flew open, as a disheveled Rick, his hair all tousled and his eyes groggy from sleep suddenly opened as his eyesight cleared and he saw the uneasy look on Jonathan's face, he snapped out of dreamland central.  
  
"What's wrong, Jonathan?". Rick asked gravely." What's the matter?"  
  
Jonathan swallowed a lump in his throat and shot a look towards the room. "I don't know how, I'm going to be able to tell you this and I don't know where to begin"  
  
"What?! tell me Jonathan!...what is it?!"  
  
Jonathan grabbed him by the arm and led him to the room. Rick knew had something to do with Angela...something very bad.  
  
"Rick, Angela is chanting in Ancient Egyptian and she's saying some kind of spell about arising on who is motionless or something...it's about Imhotep" Jonathan sputtered in a shaky voice as they slowly walked in. "It's something from the Book of the Dead"  
  
They stood before the bed, staring down at Angela. She lay still, eyes closed yet still chanting.  
  
"How do you--" Rick tried to say.  
  
"Rick, for Christ's sake, the words she's saying don't just come off the top of your head!"  
  
"What is she saying now?" Rick insisted. "Tell me!"  
  
"Um" Jonathan tried to gain control of his mind so he could understand the words once more. "Uh, they shall arise, you shall not be wretched as your were, you shall not fall into the putrid underworld...thy parts shall be made forever....for me...as if you were Osiris and I, Isis"..  
  
Jonathan shot a look of uneasiness at Rick whose eyes narrowed, mouth twisted in dread.  
  
"Wake her up, Jonathan" He commanded, voice edgy "Wake her, now, for the love of god wake her up"  
  
Obediently Jonathan quickly began shaking her, almost fearful. Suddenly Angela shot up out of bed in a loud, deep gasp taking in air. She held her breath and stared at Rick and Jonathan with shocked eyes. Seizing her blankets, she slid down into her bed, confused of what had just happened to her just then.  
  
"Why are you two staring at me like that?" she asked them in an uneasy, unstable voice. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, sis, maybe you can answer that for us" Rick replied, wiping his forehead and then his neck. He drew back his hand in surprise, feeling beads of sweat that had built up during the ordeal.  
  
Angela stared at them for another moment, her chest heaving up and down rapidly. "I...just...uh had.. a dream, that's it really".  
  
"What was in it?" Jonathan said as he drew closer to her.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Angela replied, as she looked at him puzzled, unsure of why they were starting to get so interested in her dream.  
  
"Was there somebody in your dream?" Rick asked this time.  
  
"Yes" she replied.  
  
"Who?" asked Jonathan  
  
There was then a long period of enigmatic silence.  
  
"Angela, tell us who was in your dream! was it Imhotep?" Rick asked demandingly  
  
"No, it was....a man, another man" Angela said uneasily.  
  
"But it wasn't Imhotep?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"I...I don't remember"  
  
Rick now paced back and forth behind Jonathan, hands rubbing his head in concentration while his eyes were lock on Angela. "She's hiding something...and I know it, why won't she tell us? What is she hiding from us?" he wondered.  
  
"Was there anyone else in it? Anyone or anything unusual?" he said. "Please tell us the truth...we need to know!! "  
  
"No" Angela replied "There wasn't anyone or anything else"  
  
"Where were you in your dream?"  
  
"Um, I was in a palace of some sort either that or it was some kind of temple...to tell you the truth I'm not to sure where or what this place was"  
  
"What did it look like?"  
  
"I don't remember, Rick. It was all...kind of dim"  
  
Jonathan then took Angela's trembling hand into his and kneeled down beside her "What was the man telling you? he asked softly "Please, tell us".  
  
"Um, things....like I said I don't remember really clearly, um something about a matter of state, oh god, I don't know!". she whimpered. "I really don't know!"  
  
"Try" Rick insisted "We need to know what is it that happened!"  
  
"Please Angela, tell us" Jonathan added "It's important"  
  
"Why?! why do you want to know! god! it was just a dream for crying out loud!....dreams are just a part of life! not because of one dream that I had does that mean that they mean anything! so don't take them as something out of the ordinary!" Angela suddenly erupted angrily.  
  
Rick and Jonathan backed up, startled by her sudden change of mood. As they stared at her in shock, she stared back at them, anger and worry spread across her face.  
  
"Is that what you think? that it's ordinary! for Christ's sake, Angela! you were chanting in Ancient Egyptian! that isn't ordinary" Rick said suddenly, raising his tone of voice as he did. "What are you going to tell me next, huh? that having a three thousand year old mummy coming after you because you remind him of his girlfriend is normal!"  
  
"Get-out" Angela hissed angrily.  
  
"But I'm not--"  
  
"I said...get out!!!"  
  
Rick and Jonathan got out, shutting the door as they did. Outside they stood stock still not knowing what to make of it all, it was all to weird.  
  
"You know, you shouldn't treat your sister like that, O'Connell...you're pressurizing her too much to tell you about a subject she doesn't like to talk about"  
  
"Jonathan, please, stay out of this"  
  
"No O'Connell, I'm not going to and for your information you're acting too rude with her...just continue doing so I won't stop you, but don't come whining to Evie and I that she stopped talking to you"  
  
"What!! I'm not acting rude!"  
  
"Ha! you're not acting rude? you're practically trying to force Angela to tell you things that she doesn't want to talk about, like the dream...wait until she's calm and then maybe she'll tell you"  
  
"We need to get as much information as possible...we need to stop Imhotep before the world ends!"  
  
"I won't argue with you on that one, but first start acting more like an understanding brother than a strict, demanding father...you've said it yourself...you're father was the reason you left home and the reason Angela was sent to a boarding school...don't you think acting like your father will remind Angela of the past? you're giving her more reason to hate you and to leave you"  
  
Rick walked up to the railings and looked up at the moon, it's reflection shimmering on the river, casting eerie waves of silver and black on it's surface. The breeze had clamed and was now only a gentle sigh in the air.  
  
"You're right Jonathan, I'm starting to act like my dad and I've never wanted to act like him, I can't lose my sister now after not seeing her for fourteen years, especially not because of this"  
  
"Well, what are you planning on doing then?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"I plan on being a better brother, I need to stop acting like she's a child, I mean I've always seen her as my baby sister and somehow I need to see her as a mature woman who can make her own decisions"  
  
Jonathan nodded and patted Rick on the shoulder.  
  
"Well that's your first step all you have to do now is act it out"  
  
"But I'm still not letting you get near her"  
  
"But Rick!!"  
  
"No Jonathan, you haven't changed and I'm sure of that...so I won't let you hurt her, do you understand that? she may be a mature girl, but you aren't getting near her as long as I'm around"  
  
"Pretty understandable, I guess, good night" Jonathan said drearily before walking to his room.  
  
"Good night" Rick said, as he walked back into Angela's cabin...this was going to be a long night, only nine hours to go, nine hours....are eternity.  
  
The warm sun of Egypt poured through the window of Angela's cabin as Rick pulled back the shutters. He stood motionless for a few moments, looking into the dark waters of the Nile River. In the distance, the peaks of mountains poked out of the horizon. He gazed at them in awe, goosebumps crawling over his skin as if they had been created to make all man and beast tremble in fear at the sight of them. He didn't want to be in Egypt anymore. Rick wanted to be back in London, a place far away from the insanity that Egypt contained. He just knew sooner or later something was going to happen...it was just a matter of time itself.  
  
Unfortunately, time that time came way too fast. He wasn't sure what to do next. He hadn't slept at all for the rest of the night. Angela had persistently refused to sleep at all, but she didn't appear to think anything more of it than a bad dream. After what had happened last year Rick wasn't sure if he could go along with that again. A year ago all of this was an adventure, all in the name of good fun. When he had first came to the beautiful country of Egypt, everything had fascinated him, especially the treasure and adventures within it's land. Now. Rick wasn't here for entertainment this time though, he was here for something personal, not treasure either. He was here simply to save the world again, get his sister safely away from Lewis and Imhotep and live happily ever after. They had come looking for adventure, thrills and chills and now it seemed to be coming after them, with a vengeance.  
  
There was a knock on the door and Rick and opened it, to find Evelyn standing there with a sleepy look on her face.  
  
"Rick?" Evelyn yawned, stumbling into the room. "It's awfully early, what are you doing in here?"  
  
"Waiting for another surprise" he responded. At that moment Angela sat up and looked at them both for a moment childishly.  
  
"You still in a bad mood?" Rick suddenly asked, noticing the bright, cheery smile on her face. "When you smile you look exactly like mom, you're as beautiful as she was"  
  
Angela blushed and shook her head. "Nah, I'm a mess".  
  
"So how do you feel?" Evelyn asked  
  
"Better, I'm sorry about yesterday, everything came together and I really couldn't handle all of the pressure...I'll try not to take it out on you guys next time, it's not your fault that the plagues pop out at unexpected times...that's all"  
  
"It's OK, don't worry about it" Evelyn replied assuringly.  
  
"Well, I think we'll leave you alone now, so you can get ready...we only have two hours and a half to go until we get to Luxor" Rick said matter-of- factly.  
  
Taking Evelyn's hand into his they walked out, closing the door. A sudden silence fell upon the room and suddenly Angela felt alone. She slowly got out of bed and walked to her dressing table.  
  
Angela's restless night of sleep had shown on her face. She could hardly hold her eyes open and there were dark circles under them. Before leaving her cabin, she made sure she covered them up with a bit a make up. Almost every morning of her life she had, had this happen to her. She was sick and tired of her dream. Angela had never told anybody about it and she wasn't even about to start. Fourteen years of the exact, same dream was enough to make anyone go mad. She could remember everything and she could repeat what was said and what was done, not only in English, but in Egyptian as well. In the past, she had tried to find some kind of meaning, some kind of message from it, but she couldn't. All she could do was shove it away in the back of her mind, saving it for a time that she never expected to come.  
  
Suddenly she heard the others in Rick's room. Rick and Jonathan were arguing and she could hear them so clearly through the walls separating them.  
  
"Oh bloody hell! that was my foot O'Connell!" Jonathan yelped in pain. "Watch where you put your bags!"  
  
"Well Jonathan, your foot shouldn't have been in the way of my bag" Rick said back to him "Now move I need to put these down!"  
  
"My foot was there long before. Anyway what are in those things? Iron? Bricks?"  
  
"What's in my bag could easily..."  
  
"Oh would you to be quiet?! you two act like such children! Now if you could just grow up we could get everything straight without fighting" Evelyn broke in. "God! there is never one moment where you two don't argue!"  
  
Angela laughed to herself. Rick and Jonathan had always fought like siblings often did. She didn't know how they had been like in the past but this was just way too silly. A crossed her mind possibly Jonathan was getting envious of Rick. After all, Jonathan had been the man in Evelyn's life always and now Rick had came in and changed all that. She didn't know what to think, Jonathan never showed any of his inner feelings and thoughts but she could guess that, that's what he was thinking, honestly he was a completely an enigma to her.  
  
Angela finished getting dressed. This time she put something a little looser so she would be much more comfortable, It still hugged her curves though as they were boots and chinos begging for her to break them in, plus her white V-neck blouse. Overall she was traversing some very nice curves. She put on her last touches of make-up and sighed at herself in the mirror. Truly she wanted this dream to end but somehow she knew it wouldn't no matter how much she wished it to happen, Why was this happening? Why didn't it change? Why me? She kept on asking herself those questions that didn't have any answers for her. Looking down at the dresser she these questions put on her jewelry: necklace, bracelet and ring.  
  
As she walked away from the dresser and over to her bed she could still hear Jonathan and Rick arguing in the room. Checking all her bags once more she grabbed her pack and a small pouch, if you want to call it that, that she carried with her everywhere and opened it. Angela had put the key in this bag a few days earlier and something told her to make sure that it was still there, just for security reasons. Looking inside, searching for it after a few seconds...she couldn't find it! A sudden feeling of worry went through her and she jumped on her bed and dumped her pack out, pushing everything aside in a frantic search and looked over it, but it wasn't there! She looked back inside her pouch and to her horror it wasn't there either!  
  
"Oh my god! where the hell is the key!" she thought anxiously  
  
Suddenly a light clicked on in her head. Imhotep must have gotten it as well when he had gotten the book! Somehow she didn't care about that, all she really cared about was what Rick would think if he found out. Putting all of her stuff back into her pouch and closing it she sighed and thought everything over...what was Imhotep planning on doing with the book? What the hell was all of this? Why hadn't she just left Cairo like Anton had told her? Why?  
  
With keys in hand, she grabbed her other bags and brought them outside and locked the door behind her, this after checking the room again to make sure she hadn't left anything. After assuring herself, she walked to the upper deck, stumbling occasionally as she dragged her bags behind her.  
  
"What now god?" she asked out loud......"What now?"  
  
Chapter 14  
  
*~~~Hotel Stack~~~*  
  
"God! why haven't they called?! Goddamnit! it doesn't take that long to see Cairo!" David yelled angrily as he threw a whisky bottle at the wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces.  
  
"Bravo David, you have single handedly manage to do everything I did...which is absolutely nothing" Lewis replied sarcastically.  
  
"Oh shut the hell up!"  
  
"David, I recommend you calm down, after all its only been what? a day now? you're too impatient my friend, so just wait it out and relax...for the better of all of us"  
  
"I will wait it out! just not here!!" David glared "I'm taking some of your men with me, we're going to wait for them at the fort and when they arrive, well let's just say...that Angela is mine! all mine!"  
  
Lewis pulled out his gun and aimed it at David's head in a movement swift enough that even his own henchmen should've taken notes, if they hadn't all been taken by surprise. "You mean, she's mine"  
  
"Uh, yes, uh that is exactly what I meant...uh she's all yours as soon as I get her".  
  
Lewis smiled innocently, lowering his gun. "Just to be sure you don't try and pull something on me, I'll send Victor with you".  
  
"Victor? who's Victor?"  
  
The answer to his question suddenly appeared, a young man of 28 dressed in a black suit holding two shotguns. "Hello David, that name is Victor....I'll be accompanying you, security reasons, you understand...don't you?"  
  
"Of course I do, uh, well lets get going"  
  
"Boys, make sure Mr. Richardson follows the plan, if he doesn't....shoot him" Lewis said coldly and as calmly as an ocean with no breeze.  
  
"As you say so" some of them answered.  
  
"Well now, now that is settled...you can go"  
  
David swallowed and walked out of the door with fifteen guys following behind "Damn you, Lewis" he murmured "Damn you" .  
  
"So should I go with him?" Vinnie asked  
  
"No, you and I have to stay here and prepare for our trip back to London, the accommodations for Angela must be perfect, after all...she is my fiancée and we will be married soon enough".  
  
*~~~The Ship, Tigris~~~*  
  
"Hey Angela!!!" Jonathan called out as he walked towards her nonchalantly.  
  
"Hi Jonathan, I'm sorry about last night"  
  
"Oh don't worry about it, I couldn't even sleep anyway, so anyway what happened to you? you were all distant and moody with us...why?"  
  
"Everything came together...that's all I can say"  
  
"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better...Luxor is only an hour away, ah this will be a trip to remember... can you imagine! The Temple of Karnak and the Collossi of Memnon..I can't wait to see them!"  
  
"Yeah, they must be beautiful, well, the ones that are visible to us tourist folk at least, they say that Luxor is one of the most unique cities in the ancient world, we'll just have to see for ourselves"  
  
"So what did you dream about last night?" Jonathan suddenly asked, taking Angela by surprise.  
  
"Um, well, I uh, don't really remember...to tell you the truth it was just a nightmare...that's all"  
  
"Oh, ok"  
  
"Good morning you two!" a voice said happily.  
  
Angela looked back to see Evelyn walking towards them, her dark maroon dress gently fluttering in the breeze. Rick appeared behind her carrying a couple of small bags and a huge backpack as well.  
  
"Oh blast, I'll be right back" Evelyn said as she hurried down the hall.  
  
"So is that what you dropped on Jonathan's foot?" Angela asked curiously as Rick set the luggage down.  
  
"Yeah, it is, but how did you kn-?" Rick tried to ask.  
  
"I was listening, I mean, I could hear you guys arguing in the other room about that....so what's in it? bricks? cannonballs? come one bro you can tell us"  
  
Rick shrugged, kneeling at the gunnysack from which he began to withdraw various items, mostly weapons: three pairs of revolvers, several; hunting knives, an elephant gun, about 12 boxes of bullets and two dozen carefully wrapped sticks of dynamite.  
  
Arching an eyebrow, peering over the table, Angela said "Um Rick, did I miss something? are we going to hijack something or are we going to be involved in a massacre?"  
  
Rick sat in the chair on the other side of her table, with the weapons spread out at his feet. From the gunnysack he withdrew a box of oversized shells and began to load the elephant gun.  
  
"I suppose certain precautions are necessary for ones safety" she granted him with a slight smile.  
  
He looked up at her from his work and smiled back. "Well sis, it's better to be prepared as the Boy Scouts say it"  
  
"Yes, I guess so" she said anxiously as she looked out at the desert gliding by, pausing for a moment she asked "So what was Hamunaptra like before it was destroyed?"  
  
Rick jumped and stared at her "What makes you think I went?"  
  
"Well a lot of things, such as your fear of Imhotep, how Ardeth Bay knew you and just happened to mention you the day of the ambush at the dig"  
  
"Oh, well it was very old and it was full of columns and statues of Egyptian gods, it was a very nice place except that...."  
  
"Except for what?"  
  
"Something very odd, something older than civilization itself....evil possesses that area of the desert"  
  
"Evil?"  
  
"Yes, well you already know who I mean, as well as the rest of the place...it's all cursed...the Bedouin people have always said in their language that it is the doorway to hell".  
  
Angela smiled "Ahmar isos Ossirion, actually...the passageway to hell"  
  
Rick began cleaning and oiling the revolvers, nervously "Yeah, something like that"  
  
"Here let me help you out with those" Angela said as she helped him oil, load and clean the guns.  
  
"I must say, for you to know how to oil and load guns as well as clean them, you have a better grasp of arsenal than one might suspect".  
  
She grinned at him "Maybe I have a better grasp of Egyptian than one might suspect"  
  
Rick felt a chill and he smiled uneasily and laughed nervously "Uh, I guess so, ya"  
  
The gunnysack was nearly repacked and Angela was just examining one last weapon, a gun-like crossbow, when she suddenly saw a shadow standing over her and sensed a presence, looking up she found that no one was there! She rose slowly, weapon in hand and stepped over the left over scattered weapons, then suddenly spun around to find Evelyn behind her.  
  
"I should've known it was you" Angela said with a sigh of relief.  
  
"I went back to the cabin, I thought you had heard me say so, um ok, can you take that thing out of my face, Angela, please"  
  
"Oh! sorry I uh, oh I'm sorry" Angela replied as she put the gun down in the table next to a very shocked Rick.  
  
"How much longer til we get to Luxor?" Jonathan asked, mildly amused at what had happened.  
  
"About fifteen minutes, don't worry" Rick answered.  
  
"You know I'm amazed, in this entire boat trip not once did we get ambushed by the Med-Jai they must have been really busy with some other supernatural things or who know knows? maybe they all quit and decided to get normal jobs for a change" Jonathan said, brightening up as he drummed his fingers impatiently on the wicker table.  
  
"Yeah, maybe they finally realized that their ways aren't the best when it comes to handling problems" Angela replied with a simper.  
  
"At the very least, I would say" Evelyn was pulling a book out of her small luggage "From the evidence at hand that the Med-Jai are either slow or they just do not want to have anything to do with us any longer"  
  
"Or they're waiting for us in Luxor" Rick suddenly cut in with a grave look on his face.  
  
No one said anything, then some nervous giggles followed, but somehow Angela could sense the real trepidation among the group. All of them shared uneasy looks, then suddenly Angela laughed, though it wasn't terribly convincing. Jonathan moved close, putting a protective arm around her shoulder, though somehow Angela felt that he was seeking the comfort of her closeness as much as offering the security of his.  
  
"So, uh what now?" Angela asked as she rested her head on Jonathan's shoulder, much to Rick's shock.  
  
"Jonathan, could you get us something to drink?" Rick asked abruptly.  
  
"Why? we're almost there, O'Connell" Jonathan replied.  
  
"Just go" Rick said sternly "Now"  
  
"Uh...ok...what do you want then?"  
  
"Just get some water"  
  
"Why can't you get it yourself?"  
  
"Jonathan...go!" Rick demanded  
  
"Ok, right, I'm going" Jonathan said as he stood up causing Angela to sit upstraight.  
  
"So if the Med-Jai are really at Luxor, which I doubt...what do you think we should do? we're only four against what? thirty or so of them. We could stay on the boat but then they'd burn it down....or better yet we could get off and get shot...what's the choice bro?" Angela asked carelessly.  
  
"Angela, if the Med-Jai are there, then we'll just step off peacefully and if things get out of hand well then we'll have a shoot rampage...how about that?" Rick replied just as calmly.  
  
"Oh you two! we are not doing anything of the sort! we're just going to get off the boat, rent some camels and have a peaceful day in Luxor....ok?" Evelyn said in her best "this is how it will be" tone of voice.  
  
"Oh ok" Both Rick and Angela sighed in unison...as they gave Evelyn dreary looks.  
  
"But don't look at me like that! you cannot solve problems by shoot people! You two are absolutely without a doubt the same in almost every way" Evelyn said exasperatedly.  
  
"Evelyn calm down, it's not a big deal...we were just joking weren't we sis?" Rick said with grin on his face.  
  
"Right Rick, we were just joking...that's all" Angela replied with sly tone of voice.  
  
"See Evelyn!"  
  
Evelyn just rolled her eyes and sighed. There was a moment of silence. "So how are you feeling?" Evelyn asked Angela, as she noticed her staring out into the river.  
  
"I'm a little tired but other than that I'm ok" Angela replied, then she glance back at the river.  
  
"Breathing normal?" Rick asked jokingly  
  
"Yes" Angela answered with a confused look in her eyes.  
  
Suddenly Jonathan came running up to the three of them and asked out of breath "Can anyone handle gnats?".  
  
"No, not really, why?" Rick answered curiously.  
  
"Because those bloody things are all over the place!"  
  
"Shoot, why now?" Rick said to the girls as he went to Jonathan. "Goddamnit!"  
  
"That's plague number five....oh dear god" Evelyn exclaimed "It can't be"  
  
"Oh great, what are we gonna do now? we can't just tell the captain to turn the ship around and head back to Cairo"  
  
"All we can do now is wait and when we go back to Cairo we're going to the Museum and start doing some extensive research. I don't know what else we can do.. Do you by any chance have the key and the Book of the Dead...Angela?" Evelyn said sternly then directing the question towards a quiet Angela who was suddenly phased out.  
  
"No I, uh don't" Angela replied.  
  
"Oh no, I don't know what we will find or how it could help us. I mean the Book of Amun-Ra is what killed Imhotep last time...but how can we get it? it's at the bottom of the Black bog...unless we go to Hamunaptra we won't be able to get it"  
  
Angela just nodded and suddenly shook her head as she stared out at the incoming port of Luxor. "No we can't kill him, we can't" she thought.  
  
Rick ran to the bow with Jonathan trailing behind. "Oh my god" were his first words.  
  
"You see O'Connell, they're all over the place" Jonathan said frantically.  
  
"Damn it...how the hell did this happen? what the hell were you doing?"  
  
"Well O'Connell as you demanded I went to go get you guys the glasses of water and as I was coming back I happened to watch as the boat sailed into port...that's when I saw that"  
  
"Well congratulations you got the news of the fifth plague...be proud of yourself Jon"  
  
"Now what? we can't just stroll off of the boat onto port like that...unless you consider being insect food and all"  
  
"I know, but I'm not so much worried about those goddamn bugs as I am about Imhotep, he'll be waiting for Angela...we can't just show ourselves...goddamnit why are you doing this?"  
  
"We're getting closer, oh god gnats....I hate gnats"  
  
"They won't kill you, Jonathan"  
  
"But they do bite"  
  
"Yeah you're right" Rick said anxiously as he glanced at Evelyn and Angela who were talking and in a way arguing about something, but then again he glanced back at the port. "Ok,um so did you see anything else?"  
  
"No...O'Connell, please, just shut up! and let's get inside somewhere!' Jonathan shouted frustratingly "We can't stay out here!".  
  
They both ran back to the table and suddenly Rick grabbed Angela and Evelyn by the arm, yanking them out of their chairs. Jonathan quickly grabbed the luggage, struggling to pick them up but finally getting the strength to carry them.  
  
Making his way to the cargo room Rick threw Angela and Evelyn inside.  
  
"Happy Birthday" he said.  
  
"Oh thanks a bunch" Angela said with a slight hint of sarcasm and surprise in her voice. "Remind me to give you something on your birthday".  
  
Rick got to the door and shut it just as Jonathan walked, suddenly tripping and falling with all the bags, landing with a loud crash.  
  
Angela stood up and rushed over to him, helping him, stumbling a bit as they tripped over the bags.  
  
"Aren't you going to tell the captain about this?" Evelyn asked curiously "After all this isn't normal".  
  
"Nah, he could find out for himself" Rick said heedlessly.  
  
Jonathan dusted himself off and rushed to the door, locking it in a hurry.  
  
"I think a little bit of me is starting to rub off on you, Jonathan" Rick said jokingly  
  
"I doubt it" Jonathan replied without turning around "That will never happen"  
  
Rick laughed and walked over to a crate and sat down to join Angela and Evelyn. The girls got to their feet and Rick then said jokingly "Your brother here has a weakness for bugs, Evelyn"  
  
"How many were there?" Evelyn asked.  
  
"A whole bloody swarm, sis! you should have seen it! It was huge!"  
  
"You're scared" Rick said mockingly.  
  
"Oh shut up, O'Connell! Why don't you go out there...if you you're so brave then?"  
  
Evelyn laughed. Jonathan has always been the preppy kind that didn't like to get his hands dirty unless there was treasure, money and/or booze involved. Yep, typical schoolboy lad.  
  
"We can't stay here" Angela said anxiously "We can't hide"  
  
"Oh yes we can, we're just gonna wait til the commotion ends, then we'll get off" Rick said "Oh and here, take this".  
  
He tossed a shotgun to Angela who easily caught it. Then handed one over to Jonathan. "Take it" he said "We're going to need them"  
  
Evelyn sat on the crate and stared at him, arms crossed and stern look on her face. "Now honestly you three, we can't just walk out there with guns in our hands and expect to be fine"  
  
"Wanna bet" Rick and Angela said in unison.  
  
They sat in the cargo room and quietly waited out the rest of the way, eager to get out to solid ground. Finally the boat docked at the port and the four of them stared at one another as if asking silently to themselves "Where is all the noise?...what is going on here?". Strangely enough there was no sound whatsoever, there was only a looming silence. One by one they stepped out of the cargo room and onto the deck. The rest of the passengers were now unloading their things and walking off the steamer much to their great surprise.  
  
"So where are all the gnats?" Angela asked softly.  
  
Everyone looked around dazed and confused and gently sighed amazed at the whole ordeal...where had they gone to? O'Connell slung on the gunnysack around his shoulders, bent down and picked up two bag and headed down the gang plank with the rest of group following behind slowly.  
  
"You girls wait down by the river near the dune over there and Jonathan and I will meet you down there. We just have to check something out and talk a bit more"  
  
"No O'Connell....not again" Jonathan said drearily "I'm getting sick of all these talks"  
  
"Stop complaining and come on" Rick said as he pulled Jonathan back into a small trading post.  
  
As she saw them disappear into the crowd. Angela looked back up at the boat, watching for Imhotep to step off or something, but he didn't. Where was he? something inside of her needed him. He had such a knack for disappearing and something else inside of her hated it. Turning back to face the hills and dunes, a sudden wind blew through echoing a word that instantly flared  
  
something inside of her. It seemed to say...."Isiria".  
  
She turned and looked around frantically trying to find where the voice had came from.  
  
Rick stopped walking and froze. "Did you hear that Jonathan?" he asked uneasily.  
  
"It was the wind, O'Connell...that's all" Jonathan replied.  
  
"But it clearly said Isiria...I heard it"  
  
"O'Connell, seriously you should stop thinking about that poor girl...this is all too much for you I see"  
  
Still waiting, Evelyn suddenly noticed Angela looking around, frantically as if she'd lost something dear to her.  
  
"Um, Angela, what or who are you looking for?" she asked curiously.  
  
Whirling around Angela looked at her with wide eyes "Nothing, I was just looking at the surroundings".  
  
"I have something to ask you, but I think I'll wait until we get back to Cairo...Do you promise me that you will answer all my questions?"  
  
"Yeah, sure"  
  
"Ok...Oh look Rick and Jonathan already got the camels...come on we mustn't keep them waiting"  
  
"I agree, let's go".  
  
In no time, the late morning sun was beating down on them. Without a single cloud in the sky, there was absolutely no chances of shade anywhere. Angela looked around at her friends, next to her Evelyn quietly hummed to herself, her dark maroon dress was bold against the desert sands, but somehow she felt cool, she rode side saddle on her camel, but unlike her. Angela rode like a cowgirl with one leg on each side of the camel. She could never quite imagine herself riding like Evelyn because of her fear of falling off and making a fool of herself.  
  
Her chinos blended in with the colors of the landscape as she rode the bumpy animal. Her long, dark brown hair tied up in a braid managed to keep her cool from the scorching heat. Now behind them, Jonathan was tugging along, he amazingly managed to keep a good, steady control of his camel while he sipped from his water canteen. Perfect disguise, his tan clothes and pith helmet also blended in well with the sand. If it wasn't for the dark blankets and bags on the camel, no one would have been able to tell if someone was riding on it. Leading the pack was Rick, who's guns could be heard clacking and clicking as he rode. His outfit looked a lot like Jonathan's with the exception that he wore no pith helmet.  
  
The endless sun-baked Sahara stretched out across the Nile River. Angela found the great desert with it's sweeping vistas shimmering in the sunlight, an awe-inspiring, intimidating landscape never to be taken as a game. Right then they were moving over a hard, sandy terrain littered with stones and dotted with Papyrus as well as Lotus and Hyacinth flowers that floated gracefully on the river, they all gently breathed the sweet, soft perfume of the clovers and plants and enjoyed the scenic ride.  
  
Angela jogged up, bobbing along side her brother and said with a sigh "Isn't it beautiful, the serenity of Egypt astounds me...it's quiet beauty and enigmatic landscape can't compare to any other place that I've seen before...it's magical, enchanting even haunting at times"  
  
"Well, I was just going to say that, sis" Rick said. "Only in fewer words, but yeah it's really enchanting"  
  
Angela smiled, her innocent smile that smile that anyone would love to see "You're making fun of me, Rick"  
  
"Yep, that's what I'm here for" he replied "Making fun of you is my job".  
  
As they made their way into the ruined city of Luxor, everyone's eyes went wide...it was spectacular! Angela stopped her camel, jumped off and ran up ahead as everyone else got off of theirs.  
  
"Oh my god, this is beautiful! have you ever seen anything like it!" Angela called out amazed at the sight.  
  
Jonathan smiled to himself and paused to touch his heart, whispering..."Never"  
  
It was burning hot at midday in Luxor. They had waited a bit until late afternoon before going to check out things, taking a long stroll through the temple complex, much to Angela's disappointment. They had started out as one big group but Angela had wandered off into the temples to do a bit of exploring of her own. She walked among the pillars, now and then looking up at the beautiful inscriptions, but for the most part she was part deep in her own thoughts.  
  
Jonathan had followed her after he noticed that Rick and Evelyn were too busy talking amongst themselves. He was always a few steps behind Angela as if he were her guardian angel. It seemed that she fit in perfectly in these surroundings, all she needed was a skin tight fabric dress and she would be the princess of this realm, his realm. He felt like calling out to her but when he opened his mouth to speak out not a word came out.  
  
"Someday I'm going to tell you all of what I feel" he said softly to himself "I'll tell you so much that you'll get tired of listening to me. I shall tell you how much I love you and how I will never let a thing happen to you and how I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, but now there's time for me to wait...I want to tell you so much, but I can't, I just can't"  
  
Angela reached the immense temple with it's court of pillars within and she fell strangely silent. She looked up at the great relief of a statue of a warrior king, Seti I.  
  
Jonathan stopped, it was clear to his heart that he didn't want to go on, the pain he felt at the sound of her words back in Cairo when she had spoken to him about Imhotep had returned, the light had suddenly disappeared out of his eyes and his soul. Closing his eyes, he sighed and started to walk back to the camels when a voice suddenly caught his attention.  
  
"Jonathan wait!" the voice called out.  
  
He turned around to see Angela standing a few feet away from him.  
  
"So what were you doing, Jonathan?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Um well, I uh was just taking a look at the temple that's all, these pillars are thousand of years old and yet they're still standing tall, it's beautiful, isn't it?" he said giddily.  
  
"Yeah, it's beautiful" Angela replied as she walked towards him "I love it, the hieroglyphics are spectacular...everything here is exceedingly beautiful...I could stay here forever"  
  
"Yes, well I wish we could do that too...now why don't we go check out the rest of the temples, shall we?"  
  
"Yes, let's go and check out the rest of these testaments to a desire for immortality, built for all eternity in sandstone and granite...god could you believe these tombs and temples are still up and surrounded by souks. On the east bank of the Nile here, the Karnak temples and on the west bank, the Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut's temple...ahh ok let's go"  
  
They walked into the temple, disappearing inside.  
  
"I can't believe this!!, one minute Jonathan and Angela are behind us, the next they're gone!. ...where the hell could they be?" Rick said frustratingly  
  
"Um, well I'm not sure, but I am sure about is that they will be quite all right...maybe they just got caught up in something back there" Evelyn said assuringly as she glanced back towards the temples behind them.  
  
"Come on we're going to go look for them, after the plagues and truth about Jonathan's feelings. I'm prepared to take out a few people, come on"  
  
"But Rick!--"  
  
Before she could finish her sentence, Rick grabbed he by the hand and walked towards the temples.  
  
"Rick, we're never going to find them! just have fun! come on that's what we're here for" Evelyn said, stopping suddenly which caused him to bounce back.  
  
Rick turned to face her and glare, something he had never done. In that instant Evelyn suddenly wondered if it was him and not Angela who was possessed...what was up with him?  
  
"We need to find them. I don't want anything to happen to them" he suddenly said urgently.  
  
"You mean you don't want anything to happen ''between'' them" Evelyn mumbled frustratingly. "How comforting to hear you say something like that".  
  
"Yeah, well I care about my sister"  
  
"Oh! I thought you said ''them'' not ''her'' , but ok Rick if you insist let's waste our day in the ruins searching...after all we're not here to see anything we're just here to baby-sit your sister".  
  
"You have standards, Evelyn, I'm glad...it helps me out so much"  
  
Evelyn rolled her eyes and sighed...no use in arguing.  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
The heat was unbearable and the silence showed. The soldiers were up on their parapets, some dozing, some just about to. All in all no one felt like doing anything...well almost no one.  
  
"Ok, all of you take a room each, don't make anything look suspicious, if there aren't any rooms then I suggest you find a place near here, no is leaving this fort...got it?" Victor ordered like general sending in his troops to destroy an enemy building.  
  
None of the men answered, but their faces showed that they agreed.  
  
"Um ok Victor, and I'm guessing you'll be keeping watch at the gate, right?" David said weakly.  
  
"Very good David...you're really smart, frankly I'm amazed"  
  
David only smiled sarcastically and walked over to the registration window.  
  
"Excuse me by any chance do you know the whereabouts of Angela O'Connell?" he asked the cadet.  
  
"No sir I don't, she has not arrived since she left sir, all I know is that she hasn't signed out yet and neither have the Carnarvons...did my friend not call you yesterday?"  
  
"No, he didn't, but it's ok I'll just wait here I'm sure she'll be back in no time"  
  
He walked out into the garden and sat down on a bench, the rest had  
  
disappeared, including Victor, much to his amazement.  
  
"Well as long as they aren't aiming guns at me, I'm fine...Angela come soon...I'll get you out and I'll make you love, just as soon as I get that blasted Book of the Dead!" he thought as he looked around anxiously.  
  
How close David was to the truth...indeed someone was up on one of the parapets, but they weren't aiming a gun at him, they were preparing to have the entire fort over for ''lunch''.  
  
"Master Imhotep, are you sure you would like to wait for Isiria here? why not in her room?" Beni asked in Hebrew.  
  
"I would like to surprise her, my loyal servant, she loves surprises and I am sure she will be very happy to see me once more, where is my love by the way?...did she not say that she would be here?" Imhotep replied.  
  
"Yes master, she promised to be here, I think she may be expecting you in her quarters"  
  
"Let's pay her a visit"  
  
Dissolving into sand, they seeped down the side of building and into Angela's room, her perfume giving a soft, delicate feminine smell to the room. Apparently though, another man had been here as well.  
  
Instantly Imhotep morphed back and he started to look around, without a sign of his love. She was gone! Not a sound in the room where had she gone to? Imhotep stared fixedly around the room, the clock chimed twice in the living room.  
  
Suddenly he walked towards the drawers. He could hear the creak of the floor beneath his feet as he made his way to them. There, on the drawer was a paper with his name written in Hieratic. Lift it and you will know. Pick it up. Imagine...what could it say? He reached out for the paper, his hands poised, trembling. Picking it up, he turned it over to find a small note from Isiria: "I shall see you again soon my love, all in time. I shall come back to be reunited with you because...I love you".  
  
His eyes moved tentatively over the note and suddenly he was staring fixedly at it, a smile spread on his handsome face. The words so politely spoken, so beautiful, he could almost hear her voice telling him this.  
  
While this was going on, Beni caught sight of some photos...curious he picked them up and started looking through them. One in part got his attention.. it was one of a boy of about fourteen years with a younger girl posing by him...he flipped it over and saw a small message:  
  
"To our beloved mom, we miss you and hope you will be here in Chicago soon....Love Rick and Angela O'Connell".  
  
He looked at the second photo and saw...Isiria! no this wasn't Isiria, as Imhotep thought..no this was Angela! Rick's little sister! A million memories flashed before his eyes in special, a conversation between Rick and him they had, had back in Hamunaptra while they had been in the French Foreign Legions,  
  
// "So tell me my friend, do you have any family back in Chicago?" Beni had asked.  
  
"Yeah I do actually, a sister...her name is Angela" Rick replied "She is so adorable, I'll have to introduce her to you one of these days...when I find her" //  
  
Reality struck him hard, like a ton of bricks. He suddenly felt an instant hate fill him and he smiled evilly, ah you sly devil you. Revenge was a very good thing indeed.  
  
"I'll hit O'Connell where it hurts him the most...his darling little sister. She will pay for his stupidity, oh poor baby" he thought maniacally "Oh well, can't feel sorry for everyone"  
  
"We shall wait her" Imhotep said sternly in Hebrew.  
  
"Yes, as you wish...but I do not recommend we stay here at plain sight"  
  
"You are right, servant,...we shall be gone from view and when my princess arrives...we shall show ourselves...after all I need to give her one last gift"  
  
"and what is that, master?....another ring?"  
  
"No.....her past"  
  
Chapter 15  
  
*~~~Luxor, Temple of Deir-El-Bahari~~~*  
  
"Where are they?" Rick said frustratingly. "They couldn't have gone far" .  
  
"Rick, for the love of god, leave them be!" Evelyn said as Rick dragged her through out the temple, the eyes of the tourists watching them in surprise.  
  
"Angela! Where are you!" Rick shouted.  
  
Evelyn couldn't take it anymore, she let go of Rick's grasp and stopped in her steps.  
  
"I am not going with you, Rick, if you want to go and waste your day that is just fine with me! as for myself I am going to take a look at the temples by myself! Good day!"  
  
Rick froze and whirled around to see her storming off in the direction they had came.  
  
"Wait! Evelyn!...oh god...I'm sorry! Wait!" he said suddenly as he ran behind her. "Let's talk! or better yet, let's look at the temples together!".  
  
"No Rick! it seems like your sister is the only person in this world! I don't exist for you anymore! and not until you treat both of us fairly don't expect me to be lovy-dovy with you!" Evelyn shouted angrily.  
  
O'Connell, the hero, suddenly swept her into his arms and kissed her, deeply, passionately. She was in shock but she kissed him back the same way, wrapping her arms around him. The kiss lasted forever and then another of the same duration followed it.  
  
Rick slung himself onto a camel, pulling Evelyn up behind him, where she clung to his waist, cuddling, kissing, giggling, making everyone around them smile and sigh at the sight of the two.  
  
"I love you" Rick said softly "and I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk".  
  
"Oh, you're not acting like a jerk Rick, you're just being too overprotective that's all"  
  
"What do you suggest I do?"  
  
"For now don't worry, you can't shut Angela out of the world, she needs to experience things for herself and with you always behind her she cannot really decide what she wants to do... let her make her own decisions...OK?"  
  
"OK, I guess you're right...everyone is always right...well let's just leave  
  
it at that and lets go see the rest of Luxor".  
  
"I thought you'd never say that"  
  
Suddenly he swatted the camel and they raced towards the looming temple in the distance. Evelyn's hair streaming in the wind. Her laughter made Rick smile and he laughed along with her...yes, this felt so much better than worrying, but then again what didn't?  
  
"It's time that my sister act on her, even if it means putting aside the world for her happiness I just hope she makes the right choice" Rick thought as they rode.  
  
As the day went on, the two tiny groups had gotten drawn a tad bit close together, it was serene, relaxing a time to push the problems away and leave them for another time, possibly forever if it was possible.  
  
The Temples of Karnak and Luxor loomed over the ruins like to pharaohs who had never let go of their place, no matter how long a time had passed nor how destroyed their city was. Following a row of hieroglyphics, the symbols for life and death showed up.. roughly translated "After peace...there is chaos...beware for it shall strike when mortals least expect it.. beware the chaos...beware the change".  
  
Angela and Jonathan had come to the greatest and most beautiful of the temples of Luxor. The shore excursion had been cut short on account of the sweltering heat, but it had been fun nonetheless, but now that night was setting in...the wind blew over the desert sand dunes. Stealthily they walked down the staircase of the temple. It was magnificent and utterly breath taking as it shown a beautiful tannish yellow on its walls just as the sun set down over the horizon, slowly disappearing. The temple had suddenly turned azure as the night sky melted and slithered into the surroundings of the ruins. Some Bedouin men were slowly setting on the pyres causing the insides of the temples to glow...it was awe inspiring.  
  
Angela wrapped her coat tightly around herself, looking up at the moon that hung perilously low over the shimmering waters of the Nile.  
  
With help of a lone, native Bedouin man, they mounted the camels awaiting them and rode towards the camp. It was thrilling to ride this beast. Angela laughed into the wind, but didn't dare look down at the ground moving unevenly beneath her. She was glad when the animals came to a halt and Jonathan jumped down from his camel, where he then reached up to catch her. As she jumped down, she stumbled suddenly but Jonathan managed to hold on to her tightly. In a small instant their eyes locked on each others, gazing curiously.  
  
Alone they stood, under the star filled sky, the desert wind faintly howling. Not a cloud was in the sky, on this night. Far off, Angela saw the lightened tents of their little camp waiting for them to return and she sighed.  
  
"Come on, let's go see one last place before we go back" Jonathan said softly, as they parted.  
  
Into another temple they walked, passing a giant statue of Osiris.  
  
"This was all a dream", Jonathan thought "It will be over soon and it will be as if it never happened she will forget we ever walked here and talked...god, what did I do to deserve this? When pray do you ever listen? why can't I be truly happy for once in my life"  
  
If there were tears in his sad eyes, the wind must have carried them far away, but his sad, depressed sigh...Angela had suddenly heard clearly. The tremor in his warm hand she could feel gently as she held onto it. They walked together, hand in hand, his eyes drifting over the great statues and pillars.  
  
Suddenly he stopped and put his arm around her, closing her against him gently, as they turned to face the entrance of the temple. The wind had died down, but he kept her warm nonetheless.  
  
"What's wrong, Jonathan?" Angela asked softly as she looked at his saddened eyes.  
  
He hesitated. It was as if he didn't want to answer her question. Then Jonathan said "I feel so odd...I don't and can't understand this".  
  
"What is it? Please tell me" she replied "What don't you understand?".  
  
He looked away, unable to look her in the eyes. Would she understand? She didn't realize what such a thing meant to him and he thought that over and over in his mind.  
  
"Jonathan, for the love of god, please tell me, what's wrong? What's the matter?"  
  
Jonathan stopped thinking suddenly and moved away from her. He looked back at the of temple and sighed. When he turned back he saw the curiosity and worry in her eyes, those beautiful, hazel eyes, that he could never stop looking into. "What do I do?" he thought. "It's worth a shot I guess...what's the worse that could happen?"  
  
He looked at her "Angela I, I, uh, I love you" he said in a whisper, hoping deep inside that she hadn't heard a word.  
  
Her eyes grew wide "What!" she said as she gasped in shock.  
  
"I love you, Angela, I love you with all my heart"  
  
A sudden look of "oh my god" was suddenly spreading across her face and Jonathan now felt like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Much to his surprise she didn't laugh, she didn't get mad, she just stared at him, her amber eyes glittering with the flames of a pyre.  
  
"Oh my god, Jonathan, I, I don't know what to say, this is so unreal...Why, why didn't, why didn't you tell me thisearlier?" she asked, she couldn't stop herself, it was all so surprising.  
  
"Uh, I didn't tell you because of cowardice, Angela, pure cowardice and I regret not telling you sooner. I didn't know what to say or what to do because I'm so ignorant, when it comes to this stuff". He sighed and laughed nervously, suddenly his conversation started to change. "The solid thought that I wouldn't be able to save your life terrifies me more than anything or anyone. You, O'Connell, Evie and I are going to be scared probably for the rest of our lives because of all of this, but I think that as time goes on, that the fear will lessen. We're here together and the four of us, hell, you and me, make one hell of a team".  
  
"Jonathan, I--"  
  
"Angela, I would never, ever let anything happen to you and I know you would never let anything happen to me"  
  
"Jonathan, please--"  
  
"I always dreamt that I would meet a girl like you and that my world would be completely different, that I would no longer feel empty or be a coward like am now"  
  
"Jonathan!!!" Angela suddenly shouted.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're babbling" Angela said softly with a smile, her eyes full of tears.  
  
His voice broke and he laughed softly "This exactly what I dreamt would happen...I love you so much"  
  
He looked at the distance as if his own words had just taken him by surprise. Then he looked at her for a moment and suddenly she walked to him and threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly. Jonathan didn't look at her, he was instead staring out into the vast desert in shock, the tears in his eyes were suddenly coming. He looked at her once more and her close, trying to soothe his own fears. Slowly they both looked at one another and without saying a word he closed his arms tightly around her waist and kissed her.  
  
Their lips touched for a moment but there was no movement. Angela moved her hands towards his face and wrapped them around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. They kissed each other lightly on the lips in small pecks. Jonathan hugged her tighter and their kiss became much more passionate and they immediately became wrapped up in each other.  
  
Slowly they parted, Jonathan stared at her in a bit of guilty shock, but once again she smiled and caressed his face lightly.  
  
"I can't believe I was such a fool....all this time I never realized how much you loved me...and now I realize how all this time...I wasn't in love with Imhotep...I was in love with you. You're the one I've been looking for all this time and all this time you were right in front of me...how could I have been so blind?....I love you so much as well, but I was so spellbound by Imhotep that I had no idea what I felt, but now I do".  
  
"You're in love with me? you're not joking?...you're really in love with me?"  
  
"Yes, and I'm going to kiss you now" she said happily "because I love you and no matter what, I'm never letting you go"  
  
"Angela, I--" the sentence was cut short as she kissed him fervently, letting herself be engulfed in a dream come true...a dream that was suddenly ripped in half.  
  
"Angela!!" a voice suddenly shouted, echoing throughout the entire temple in a loud chorus of anger and reproach.  
  
Both Jonathan and Angela whirled around to find Rick, an angry look on his face, followed by a shocked Evelyn and the Bedouin man who had lent them the camels.  
  
"Oh...no" Jonathan softly said in shock.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Rick stormed up to them and yanked Jonathan by the collar.  
  
Jonathan swallowed. Suddenly he need a drink, but no, Angela, he couldn't drink...for her. It occurred to him suddenly that he ought to try and make a run for it but his mind once again reminded him, Angela. He knew know that she loved him and no he wouldn't back away....or pass out for that matter.  
  
"Tell me Jonathan! and try not to lie to me" Rick said as he pulled out a revolver and held it to Jonathan's neck.  
  
Jonathan suddenly remembered the crazed look in O'Connell's eyes when he had put Beni's face about an inch or so from the fan in the Egyptologist's apartment...thank god, no fan...but the gun...oh dear god...the gun.  
  
"Please Rick, I can explain everything just let me--"  
  
"You know what? now that I think of it...I told you to stay away from my sister"  
  
That's when the bomb exploded, Angela rushed up to Rick and abruptly pulled him off of Jonathan who only scuttled back into a pillar.  
  
"What gives you the right to try and run my life!! you have absolutely no authority over me! I'm not a little girl anymore! you can't just threaten people to stay away from me! you just can't I won't let you! " Angela screamed in his face angrily.  
  
"Angela, you aren't going to be with him! I mean, he drinks, he gambles, he doesn't even have a job!"  
  
"I don't care if you don't like him!" Angela screamed "You have no right interfering in my life! I'll show you Rick! I'll prove to you that he is the best!"  
  
Evelyn rushed over to Jonathan and guided him to a more safer area of the temple.  
  
"Oh my god, I never thought I would see this happen" Evelyn said softly, cautiously.  
  
Rick grabbed Angela by the wrists and they stormed into the inner part of the temple, shouting at one another as they did.  
  
"We have to help, we can't just stay out here and wait to see what happens. I'm going in, Evie....how long do you think this argument will last?" Jonathan said frantically.  
  
"Um, well, it's hard to say....perhaps an hour" Evelyn sighed. "Perhaps I better step in before someone gets killed...you wait here, just to be safe, OK?".  
  
"OK, but Evie I don't think Rick would hurt his own sister"  
  
"Oh, I wasn't worried about Angela getting hurt" Evelyn replied as she rushed inside.  
  
After a moment of arguing as they reached the chamber a cry and a sound of a shuddering crash made the need for caution unnecessary and to anxious hearts impossible. The smashing sound was followed by Rick cursing and suddenly an eerie moment of silence. The sound of footsteps could be heard, stomping out....it was Angela, she was sobbing loudly and now running back to the camp.  
  
"Oh god in heaven! Rick!" Evelyn screamed frantically, as she ran towards the are where the two siblings had been. There lying on the ground was Rick, he was unconscious and he had a rather big bump on the forehead. "Rick, dear god, Rick answer me! Oh my god...Jonathan!! Help me!" she called out....waiting, with no answer.  
  
Standing up she ran to the archway of the temple and looked out, Jonathan was already halfway to camp, running as fast as he could shouting "Angela! Come back! please come back!"  
  
As she turned back around she found herself looking at Rick who was wincing and somewhat cursing as he rubbed the bruise on his head.  
  
"What happened?" Evelyn asked anxiously "Oh my goodness, are you OK?"  
  
"Angela gave me a right hook in the jaw and then decided to play crack the coconut with my head using a stone, a rather large stone from what I remember.. she was walking out when when she threw it, so I was completely taken off guard, but other than that...I'm OK...Jonathan better goddamn say his prayers because I'm personally sending him to kingdom come" Rick said gravely, yet somewhat surprised at the whole ordeal.  
  
"Rick, all this childish behavior and arguing is driving me insane and it cannot be good for you or Angela"  
  
Rick laughed a little uneasily "It certainly wasn't good for me, she totally pummeled me and knocked me out"  
  
"That probably wasn't necessary" Evelyn said as she touched his injury. She groaned. "I'd better go talk to her...for all of our sakes...and don't even think of putting a hand on Jonathan, we'll straighten this out in a civilized manner, all right?"  
  
"Oh OK, I promise I won't do anything"  
  
"Good...now go and apologize"  
  
"What!!! She practically killed me!"  
  
"and you gave her reasons! Hello Rick O'Connell! you cannot just do something like this and expect people to be bright and cheery! for the love of god, act like the adult that you are! She will not talk to you until you do apologize...promise me you will do it".  
  
"Fine I will, just not now, I'll let the storm go by then I'll talk to her"  
  
"Well anyway, you'll have time to do so, we leave to Cairo tomorrow morning....come one now, let's go...it's already getting awfully chilly out here"  
  
"OK, let's go"  
  
Back at the camp, Jonathan was just stumbling into Angela's tent, trying hard not to pass out from exhaustion.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked as he gasped for air.  
  
"I'm going to set my bed elsewhere!" Angela said, as she grabbed her sheets and stuffed them into her backpack.  
  
"No, wait, we need to talk" Jonathan said.  
  
"I know we do, just not here" Angela replied anxiously. "Please help me out and then we'll talk"  
  
"Oh OK, where do you plan on going?".  
  
"It's a small hollowed out cave I saw while we rode towards her, it's up on that small hill over by the temple of Deir-El-Bahari...I have to get out. I don't fell like speaking to my brother, I just can't believe he did this! to interfere in my life! what gives him the right! He's acting like my father and to tell you the truth...I hate it!! I can't stand it!" Angela said infuriatingly a she picked up some clothes, stuffing it into her backpack as well.  
  
"Well, don't worry about O'Connell, I should be the one worrying right now...he's going to kill me!" Jonathan said nervously.  
  
"Come with me" Angela suddenly said "Come with me! and he won't be able to hurt you!"  
  
"Do you really think it's proper for me to go with you?" he asked a bit startled.  
  
"Well it's either that or stay here and get pummeled senseless by my brother....you decide, I don't want you to get hurt"  
  
Sitting on the floor, Jonathan looked up to see Angela with her handreaching for his, the sudden flashback of seeing her in that same pose backat the fort during the plague of hail came back to him and it caused him tosmile slightly. He reached up and she pulled him to his feet and out of thetent. Everyone else was either asleep or by a campfire talking, not noticing the couple mounting two camels and riding off into the dark hill thatoverlooked dunes of sand, rippling sand that was ever-changing with the winds of time.  
  
"Looks like Angela and Jonathan decided to go to sleep early...their tents are darkened" Rick said as they walked into the camp.  
  
"Yes, I think we shouldn't bother either of them, they're both extremely stressed out after all of this, it's best that we let them enjoy a good nights sleep" Evelyn replied softly, as she climbed into her tent.  
  
"OK then, well, good night" Rick said as he too got into his tent.  
  
"Good night, Rick" Evelyn said softly, as a low and heavy silence sank in, only the distant crackling of fire could be heard...other than that nothing else...peace, lulling peace.  
  
It was almost dawn, Jonathan and Angela had left the warmth of the camp hours ago and had come here into the deserted hollowed out cave, with only the loose cotton sheets around them. They had made love in the sand over and over neither one willing to let go of the other. Then they had laid in the dark,looking out at the azure colored desert, joking around and speaking of love and devotion, as he cradled her with his left arm. Only the smooth sheet wound tightly around her.  
  
With the dawn of the new day, Rick awoke but only dozed off again in his tent. Suddenly he thought he had heard camels come trotting into the camp,their feet grinding the sand as the two young lovers came back from their escapade. He also managed to hear furtive quick steps on the sand...then nothing. When he opened his eyes, Evelyn was looking into the tent.  
  
Disheveled and sleepy, Rick smiled and for a moment neither said a word and then she smiled, the familiar smile that always brightened his day.  
  
"Well good morning Rick" she said softly "It will be good to get back to Cairo and a little civilization"  
  
"Did you just hear those camels?" Rick asked sleepily.  
  
"Which ones? I haven't heard anything....why do you ask?"  
  
"Oh nothing....don't listen to me, it was nothing"  
  
"Um...OK, the boat is almost going to be here and we need to pack up our belongings".  
  
"Well what are we waiting for? I'm pretty much ready....please go get Angela and Jonathan and tell them to get ready, we need to be back in Cairo as soon as possible, just tell them that"  
  
"OK, I'll be right back"  
  
She rushed back to the tents and checked Angela's tent only to find it empty,much to her surprise, but a noise got her attention. Giggling and moaning,she slowly walked towards Jonathan's tent and opened the flap to find Angela and Jonathan playing Blackjack while they were eating figs and pomegranates.  
  
"Good god! You've beaten me...what? five games!" Jonathan said as he softly threw his cards down on the sand.  
  
"Well, I'll try and let you win next time" she said followed by a series of giggles.  
  
Evelyn stepped inside, causing them both to jump a bit.  
  
"Oh, you two are finally awake I see, Rick says that you two should hurry up and get packed...we have to leave soon so we don't miss the boat, now hurry, the sooner the better" she said.  
  
"Well, we've been packed since yesterday, so anytime you're set we can leave"Angela said confidently. "Is Rick still mad with me by any chance?"  
  
"I don't know, he didn't seem like it, but then again I didn't ask and he didn't say a word...well I better be going, we'll see you two later"  
  
"OK, bye Evie" Jonathan called out.  
  
She walked back and disappeared into her tent, Angela turned towards Jonathan and smiled "She doesn't know" she said.  
  
"I know, I'm glad" Jonathan said "We'll stick to your plan and not tell them anything until we finally make it to Cairo"  
  
"Yes, but until then I want to be with you and you alone" Angela said as she leaned forward and kissed him. "I will never let anything come between us because I love you and I always will...forever"  
  
"Well, you took the words right out of my mouth" Jonathan said with a smile. "I love you more than I love life itself"  
  
"Angela! Jonathan! Come on the boat is here! We need to get going!" Evelyn shouted.  
  
They both grabbed their belongings and rushed out of the tent, both mounting their camels with an agileness of professional equestrians. Rick and Evelyn were already a bit ahead.  
  
Angela glanced over at Jonathan; and Jonathan glanced over at her, they shared a moment, exchanged loving smiles and then simultaneously swatted their respective camels. As they raced swiftly towards the looming landmark of the Nile, Rick and Evelyn blinked a few times, as they passed by them. They looked at one another with a questioning look and took off after them. Angela glanced beside her and saw that Jonathan was right alongside keeping a steady pace his eyes filled with life, his smile endless, his joy tangible.  
  
Angela's laughter and her look of triumph made Jonathan smile and he thanked god for granting him the joy of having her as his true love...she was his life, his reason for living, and she loved him too. He kept telling himself how much he loved her and suddenly she bolted ahead him, charging towards the ramp of the boat where people literally jumped out of the way so they wouldn't get trampled.  
  
She jumped off and gently pulled the camels reins, guiding it into the stables without any problems. By the time she had gotten her belongings off of it, Jonathan, Evelyn and Rick had already arrived and were now doing the same thing as well.  
  
"Well, I'll see you guys later...I'm off to leave my stuff in my cabin...see ya!" she said energetically as she dashed off into the corridor down towards the cabins.  
  
"OK Angela, but remember to come and have dinner with us later!" Rick called back.  
  
Jonathan smiled and turned to Evelyn.  
  
"I'm going to my cabin as well, I'll see you later" he said. "Meet you at dinner"  
  
"OK Jonathan" Evelyn answered "See you then"  
  
He then took off like a bullet. Leaving Rick to wonder why he had left in such a hurry. Hardly giving him time to think.  
  
Jonathan was now just arriving to the cabin he had been looking for and knocked softly.  
  
"Angela, are you there?" he said exhaustedly.  
  
The door flew open and Angela appeared, she smiled and pulled him in gently, shutting it after both were in.  
  
"Evelyn and O'Connell will meet us later on at the deck for dinner" he said, but suddenly stopped before he could say anything as he noticed Angela staring at him affectionately.  
  
He smiled nervously and she continued to gaze at him anticipating his first move. Obviously she wanted him to make the first move, but he froze and went numb all over. Angela was a goddess to him and she was certain to be dissatisfied with him sooner or later. Though he remembered the night before and somehow he didn't feel so tense anymore.  
  
Jonathan put his arms around her and pulled her close to him. In his nervousness he kissed her rather awkwardly, but Angela didn't seem to mind, she actually giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss twice as passionate. They sat on the sofa holding each other and kissing for what Jonathan could have sworn had been a very short amount of time, but as he looked over at the clock that stood on the mantle, he discovered that four hours had passed by.  
  
Without another word he took Angela by the hand and led her to a window over looking the river that flowed by gracefully.  
  
"So when exactly should we tell Rick and Evie about us?" he asked as he held her close to him, kissing and nibbling her softly on the neck. "I know when we're in Cairo, but when?"  
  
"For now I don't think we should tell them, it's better that my brother finds out about this after a good amount of time has passed, probably when we get to London" she said in low voice, "I will always love you, Jonathan...so don't worry".  
  
They kissed and just stood there, holding on to each other. Angela rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, sighing softly. As Jonathan held her, he happened to glance over at the window behind her and he could have sworn he had seen a shadow glide by, a large shadow, but no, it couldn't be, his imagination was just playing games with him. He had been worrying so much about Angela after seeing her with Imhotep that it literally seemed as if Imhotep's shadow were an obstacle between them or at least was going to be, but no it couldn't be. The imagination, the formation of a mental image of  
  
something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses, it can be quite shocking or quite deadly...the images that ones mind plays from our heads are our own imagination...what if the imagination became reality, a reality so real that it would cause one's fears to turn against them?  
  
In reassurance he hugged her tighter and caressed her back. Repeating to her over and over "I love you". She lifted her head and kissed his jaw, then his lips, gently whispering back "I love you too".  
  
Suddenly their moment of peacefulness was broken, when a loud knock was suddenly heard, abruptly banging. They both looked at one another in quiet terror.  
  
"It's Rick!" Jonathan hissed fearfully.  
  
"You must go! Please, for the love of god, go!" Angela said frantically. "I don't want to hurt Rick again, please get out!....no wait!! Um, hide in the closet!" she said as she grabbed him and pushed him in, locking the door as she did.  
  
"Angela? Angela are you all right? Is there anyone else in there?" Rick asked as he knocked again.  
  
"Uh, um, Rick I'm fine, no one is, uh, in here...hold on sec, I'll be right there" she replied  
  
She ran to the door and opened it just enough to stick her head out. Doing so she saw Evelyn as well, who was quite oddly looking at her in complete surprise. Angela looked out of breath, flushed and somewhat disorganized in appearance and Rick suddenly turned red as well, not from embarrassment or exhaustion...no, it was from pure, unimaginable anger.  
  
"Is there something you should tell us, Angela?" Rick asked "What's going on? you've been in here for more than four hours!"  
  
"Uh no, I just woke up from a nap that's all. I was in the middle of a dream" Angela replied.  
  
"Do you think we can come in?"  
  
"Well Rick, it's kind of a mess and I don't think you should co--"  
  
"Well sis, we'll just have to deal with it because we're coming in anyway" Rick said as he shoved the door open. "Thanks for the welcome"  
  
Angela turned around and gave the closet a worried look. Thank god Jonathan hadn't made a single sound.  
  
Rick looked over at her as he sat down and laughed "Hey Angela, it looks like you've been getting pretty hot and heavy with someone...so where are you hiding him? Is he in the closet?"  
  
Angela jumped at the comment and glared furiously. "I just woke up...what do you want anyway?"  
  
"We just came to see how you were doing" he said "Oh by the way, have you seen Jonathan?".  
  
"Me! see Jonathan! no, uh, no I haven't seen him, uh, why should I have seen him? Wasn't he with you?" Angela asked uneasily.  
  
"No, last time we saw him was a few moments after you left to your cabin"  
  
"Well, maybe he's playing poker, you know he likes to gamble and what about the bar? haven't you checked there? for all we know he could be taking a walk on the deck and you guys have been going in circles! or worse yet, the poor guy could have fallen off the boat!" Angela started to freak out as she said that and she grabbed a glass of water and drank from it, almost choking as she drank it in huge gulps.  
  
"OK Angela, calm down, there is no need to become frantic" Evelyn said reassuringly.  
  
"Unless you're hiding him" Rick suddenly said suspiciously.  
  
"Oh Rick please, do you honestly believe that, come one now, let's go" Evelyn said, pulling at his arm softly.  
  
"No Evelyn, Angela why are you so uneasy huh? answer me that one question" Rick asked inquisitively.  
  
"I'm not uneasy! I'm just shocked that you think that I would hide him here! why don't you go look for him! why haven't you checked the restaurant or the lower deck or his cabin?" Angela asked "Or are you just assuming he's here so you can get mad at me for what happened yesterday?"  
  
"Oh Rick! we haven't even checked in those places! You see, you never even thought about that and one of those places is where he could be at! and for goodness sake Rick if it is about Angela's injuring you then all I can say is that it was an accident and you provoked it" Evelyn said.  
  
"I provoked it! oh well OK fine put all the blame on me! when it was your good for nothing brother who was kissing my sister!" Rick shouted.  
  
There was a long moment of silence in the room and Angela sighed "Jonathan and I are just friends... we came to the conclusion that it was just an accidental move and that we don't know what to make of it, so don't worry, Jonathan and I are just friends...no feelings, no nothing, OK? and please apologize if it's possible, Rick...please".  
  
Rick smiled suddenly and said "OK I'll to apologize, now that you told me the story...I feel so much better"  
  
"But why? what is it that you have against him? if it would've turned out that I did love him with all my heart and soul...what would you have done?" Angela said abruptly.  
  
Rick stared at her in surprise as did Evelyn, but Evelyn wasn't looking at Angela, she was looking at Rick. "Please not another argument" she thought. "Please"  
  
"Um well I uh-" Rick could never bring himself to mention the whole disastrous chaos going on in his head. But he would have liked to needle Jonathan right at that moment, to slip up behind him and throw him off the boat. It was all too sad really...what could he tell her? She was his sister, his only sister. Once they had loved each other as only as sister and brother could. He would always remind her and she wouldn't give him any trouble, then he could relax. The worse part this is that it was the present and he couldn't calm or quiet his sister now without the risk of a fist in his face.  
  
"Well? answer me?!" Angela said imperatively. "What would you do?"  
  
"We're going to look for him, I'll talk to you at dinner, OK? Sorry for the interruption, let's go, Evelyn" Rick said as he took Evelyn by the hand and walked swiftly out of the cabin.  
  
Angela sighed in relief and shut the door resting her back against it. As he looked at the closet, she smiled and laughed softly. She then walked over and unlocked the door. The door opened and Jonathan peeked out as only a child hiding from his father would do.  
  
"It's okay Jonathan, they left...you can come out" Angela said reassuringly.  
  
"I thought I was done for" he said nervously "You're brother is going to kill me for sure if he finds out that I was here an--"  
  
He stopped as she kissed his cheek, then his lips. It was her way of saying that she loved him with all her heart, that she trusted him, wanted him more than anything else and would always be his. For eternity. Jonathan raised his hands to her face and moved her closer to him. Slowly, tenderly he moved against her body, his lips yearning for hers and he saw how she slowly closed her eyes, accepting his advances with as much love and trust as he had for her. After having been with one another for one night, both of them knew each other intuitively, they knew every inch of each others bodies and crave to know even more.  
  
Angela parted her lips more for him and whimpered, Jonathan deepened his kissand much to his surprise he felt her tongue make contact with his. He could feel her and himself relax by the contact while his heart beat faster. Suddenly she pushed him away much to his sudden shock.  
  
"What is it?" he asked uneasily.  
  
"You have go find Rick, he's looking for you and if he doesn't find you anywhere he'll know I was hiding you" she replied a bit flushed.  
  
"Will we meet here?" he asked.  
  
"Of course, after dinner we'll meet here, but for now we will have to keep our distance, so Rick and your sister don't suspect anything".  
  
"OK then Angela, I'll meet you later on, and don't forget that...I love you"  
  
Angela smiled and walked him to the door. "I won't forget because I love you as well".  
  
With that he walked out and disappeared down the hallway.  
  
The day went by pretty quickly and come dinner Rick and the gang all sat in a table that was at a perfect angle to watch the river go by. It had been a quiet dinner, only a few comments about Luxor were made here and there but nothing much. It was already 8:30pm when Angela excused herself from the table after discussing politics with Evelyn (funny how Jonathan and Rick just looked at them in shock and would silently cheer when one of them would cause the other to hush).  
  
Jonathan had remained a bit longer but excused himself as well, running off quickly as if it were a dire situation he had to arrive to.  
  
"Where do you think he'd running off to?" Evelyn asked.  
  
"Oh I don't know, maybe to play a few last rounds of poker before he goes to bed" Rick answered.  
  
"Well Jonathan better not fool around too much or he might lose again, and who knows what the consequences will be after this" Evelyn replied sternly.  
  
"I'm sure he'll lose some and he'll win some, something tells me that today he's going to win big time and maybe this will be the beginning of a winning streak for him" Rick said with a grin.  
  
In the midst of words and moans of ecstatic pleasure filled kisses, Angela and Jonathan made passionate love, finding shelter and comfort in each other, forgetting all their worries and problems in an instant of ecstasy.  
  
Rick must have known, Angela realized suddenly. She lay beside Jonathan beneath the warm blankets of her bed, the little steamer moving north towards Cairo. They were trying to be discreet. Jonathan had only came and went when no one had been about. There had been no displays of affection at all. Yet now they had celebrated in the freedom that had been taken from them, until dawn they had spent time with each other, playing around like children, conversing, laughing at each other's jokes and making love, tumbling and struggling in the darkness of cabin as the engines of the ship carried them onward to their destiny.  
  
This was too much to wish for anything more. Yet Angela still did. She wanted to get rid of those she loved except for Jonathan....she wished to be his bride or to be among the people who would never question anything anyone else did. She knew that when they reached Cairo, she would have to make her final decision...and she would never see Imhotep for the rest of her life...it was her final answer.  
  
It was 1 PM when Jonathan came out on deck. Angela was in her favorite chair, reading one of Evelyn's books about Arabia. She looked do adorable, it made him laugh. She was busy scribbling a question in the margin, which of course she would put  
  
him to answer and he'd give it his best try.  
  
"You're awake at last, you lazy bum" she said giggling, seeing the expression on his face she then asked "What is it my love?"  
  
"I'm done with Egypt, I want to go back to London, to my house, to my homeland...we'll get to Cairo and pack up, I want to be gone from this bloody country". he said.  
  
"Yes Jonathan, I understand" she motioned him to take the chair beside her "I want to leave too" she said softly and then gave him a quick, delicate kiss on the lips.  
  
"Do that again" he said tranquilly "It relaxes me"  
  
Angela kissed him twice, slipping her fingers around the back of his neck and said in soft voice."We won't be in Cairo for more than a couple of days...I promise".  
  
Jonathan sat up. "A couple of days! Can't we just get on train to Turkey, go to France, and from there take a boat to England? Doesn't that seem so much more easy? so we can be done with all of this!"  
  
Angela looked down and sighed "Jonathan" she said "Please forgive me. But I need to solve my minor problem with Imhotep. I more or less promised myself that I would do that".  
  
Jonathan groaned and started to tremble slightly.  
  
"and you see I want to him farewell and that I am leaving and well...I need the time" she studied his face. "Please?"  
  
Jonathan shook his head and couldn't help but notice her pleading eyes, looking into his.  
  
"Oh all right, of course darling" he said resignedly "Just please do be careful, OK?".  
  
"Yes, I will" she replied "I promise"  
  
"All right, Angela...if it makes you happy then I give in" he leaned forward, kissing her cheek and then her throat. "and then you'll be mine, my beautiful Angela...we will be married and you'll be mine alone"  
  
"Yes...on my very soul" she whispered.  
  
That night when Jonathan had declined to eat anything Rick asked him if his trip to Luxor had been at all a success and if he had found what he wanted.  
  
"I think I did, O'Connell" Jonathan said, scarcely looking up from the rail to stare at the star-filled sky "I think I found...my future".  
  
There was a moment of silence and Rick put his hand on Jonathan's shoulder and said "Well, glad it helped...now come on. The boat is about to dock and we'll need to start unloading".  
  
They walked to the bow and looked as the boat slowly docked and came to a stop. Angela and Evelyn already had all the bags laying beside their legs. Each of the four too a couple and sighed. As they waited, Angela sat on a crate and looked down at the floor. Evelyn couldn't help but stare at her and her mind kept on focusing on Isiria's story and the supposed twin that sat in front of her. Once again, she didn't know the half of it, and she wouldn't...ever. 


	6. The Demons Behind the Angels

Title: Imhotep's Obsession (Chapters 16, 17, and 18)  
  
Author: Darlene Evelyn  
  
Feedback: Please let me know what you think but please don't be rude.  
  
Copyright: All Characters from both TM and TMR except for the new ones of course, which are mine are sole property of Universal Pictures. No profit is being made with this story.  
  
Chapter 16....  
  
*~~~Giza Port~~~*  
  
As Angela stepped off the boat, she inhaled a single, deep breath and thought to herself "Finally I'll be able to say good bye to Egypt, as much as it pains me to do so...I will".  
  
She held the pure air in her lungs for a moment as if she could regain all the time that she had lost in the grand steamer. All of Egypt was the land that her body longed to be in day after day, night after night. It was the land whose sand, ruins, heat and siroccos had been her dreamland and her ultimate nightmare. This was the land she dreamed of, in chimerical, but very realistic visions of blazing skies, infinite temples of magic and enigmatic rituals dedicated to the many gods of the universe, and a very striking pair of eyes whose profoundness hid a tempestuous infinity rivaling both paradise and the inferno, eyes that she knew as well as the palm of her hand. And then she remembered the darker dreams of her past, her nightmares, in a swirling whirlpool of obsidian, gold, and lapis lazuli as she blithely danced in a temple, then walked out of a grand city crazed with a pain and love for the man of her life, to leave a city that she had never seen...it was better just not to think about it. Her immediate present was more than stressful enough. Drying moist palms on her jodhpurs, Angela realized suddenly that she was now in a taxi cab!  
  
"What are we going to do?" Jonathan whispered.  
  
"The important thing, Jonathan, is not to panic. Just don't do anything crazy. We'll think of something...it will all be all right" as well meaning as her phrase was, her voice held the tone of a coast guard watching the Titanic sink.  
  
One eyebrow arching a surprised question mark, Jonathan smiled in spite of himself and softly laughed. "Angela, darling, you almost killed O'Connell using a stone and you're telling me not to do anything crazy".  
  
The cautiously blank expression which immediately spread across her face suddenly told Jonathan that his attempt at teasing her had backfired worse than his Dusenberg had during the car chase the year before. Shuddering slightly as she sat back in her seat, Angela's eyes suddenly focused on a small puddle near the back of the passenger side seating, it's dark surface similar to the obsidian like that of the Book of the Dead. Then not surprising this puddle put her mind even more in thoughts and remembrances about Lewis...dark, sadistic things of any kind tended to do that to her more often than anything. Now, Lewis, the son of a bitch, had unfortunately been hired to supervise the workers at the Hamunaptra dig site because David had actually called his skills at managing people, worthy and good...a very mild description of Lewis's tendency to rule over the workers like the second coming of the Pharaoh's over the Hebrews. As each day had gone by, sweltering and hot as usual, Anti-Lewis feelings were building rapidly to their all time high and his attitude was the reason why.  
  
Oddly enough, Lewis could and would brag a lot about certain big groups of female admirers for his refined if rather sly sense of style, or perhaps it was the glamour of his father's and uncle's war hero past or maybe it was all his bundles of money and all of his grand mansions. Angela had always bet on the mansions and money 100%. But whatever the reason, Lewis did think of himself as a god...after all he was very handsome. It came to him as a huge surprise then when Angela avoided him and shouted at him in front of people and often slapped him when he tried to kiss her or embrace her. Everyone at parties,  
  
the girls especially, were always happy to be around him, so she was more than glad to be away from him. Of course Lewis being himself, it only caused him to lust for her more and more. She grimaced at the thought and shoved it out of her mind.  
  
"Well, here we are, fort sweet fort" Rick said as he opened the door of the cab for Angela.  
  
She smiled slightly and took his hand as he helped her out and closed the door. As they all took the luggage they sighed, sleepiness was setting in after the stressful ride on the steamer.  
  
"I'm so tired, I need help with my luggage" Angela said wearily.  
  
As if god...or Satan had heard her prayers, two soldiers suddenly appeared and gently took her bags.  
  
"We'll help you out miss" one of them said thoughtfully.  
  
"Oh no, it's OK, I'm fine" Angela said as she tried to reach for her bags. "It's really not a problem".  
  
"No really Miss, you shouldn't strain your back so much, we'll help you take your bags to your cabin" the second one said.  
  
"Well....if you insist"  
  
They picked up her luggage and walked up the stairs where Jonathan was just opening the door.  
  
"Oh! It's right here" she pointed out. "Just set them by the door, thank you so much".  
  
"Oh, it's no trouble at all miss, we're here to help you out whenever you need it".  
  
The soldier flashed a smile and a sudden vision flashed before her eyes...a vision of Lewis's best friend, Victor. He was a Slavic assassin who was very suave, stunningly handsome, but deadly when angered. The smile was one he had given her when she had been locked up in the deep, dark, dank basement of the Calabar's mansion for 5 days without any food or blankets as she had begged him with tears in her eyes to let her go.  
  
"Um, do I know you?" she asked uneasily, suddenly feeling her heart beat and jump rapidly.  
  
"Me? No, I'm a recruit from France, I decided to come and work here in Egypt because it's such a fascinating country, very lovely...more so than Paris".  
  
"Oh well, I could have sworn I knew you from some where, but I guess it was just someone else that looked like you".  
  
"Yes, it could've been, well we're off now, hope to see you sometime, Angela".  
  
"Yeah, ok....good bye...and thank you"  
  
The two soldiers walked out and Angela shut the door, realizing with a deepening horror "Wait a second! How did he know my name! We just met, how could he have possibly known? Unless...oh my god...please no....it can't be Victor!".  
  
"Well, finally! I thought they'd never leave" Jonathan said, as he walked out of the bedroom.  
  
"We need to leave....now" Angela said breathlessly.  
  
"What? Why?...I thought you wanted to stay for a few more days".  
  
"Lewis sent his men to find me and most of them are now disguised as soldiers! The two soldiers that just came in here were Victor and his brother Strav! I have no doubt about it! It's them!!! Oh my god, they're terrorists and assassins and they're here!!!" she said frantically as she paced around the room. "Victor clearly said my name....it's him, it's Victor, Lewis now will know for sure where I am and he'll come looking for me".  
  
"It can't be, what do we do?" we can't just run out there now, they'll all be all over the place! ok let's think and calm down for a moment...we have to be rational and not do anything stupid that will draw attention". Jonathan said nervously.  
  
"Please Jonathan, I need to get out! You need to get out! Lewis is going to kill you! don't you understand! we need to get out and Rick! oh my god Evelyn! they'll kill them too! and all because of me! God, Lewis is my shadow, he'll never let me be happy! god! I hate this!! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate --"  
  
Jonathan grabbed her and suddenly kissed her. At first she struggled but after realizing that it was calming her, she kissed him with equal passion. Every few seconds she would let out a slight moan or small gasp, trying to get some air into her lungs. Their kiss slowed to a stop, but their lips were still in contact. Through heavy breathing and gasps for a air, Angela smiled and said softly, eyes full of tears ."I-love-you".  
  
"I love you too and don't worry we'll figure something out, even if it means blowing up this fort but we'll get out of here with Rick and Evie and then you'll never have to deal with Lewis or his men ever again" he said in a soft, reassuring voice as he cupped her face in his hands.  
  
Angela looked away and dried her tears, laughing a bit as she did, suddenly it didn't seem as bad of a situation, this time she wasn't alone, she had Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan to be there for support, it was a great feeling though she knew that it would be a risk to their lives. Without another word, she walked to the bathroom and shut the door. Splashing some water in her face she suddenly broke down crying...the pain was too much for her to bear. What could stop Lewis? nothing... absolutely nothing.... except... death itself.  
  
Meanwhile outside, Jonathan sat on the bed and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. He stared at it for a moment then suddenly threw it away, the frustration was building and he knew sooner or later that he'd be the drunken fool that he use to be, but he had Angela now, his love...he couldn't let her down and he wouldn't.  
  
"Sleep, sleep will be good...sleep is a good thing...it'll help" he thought as he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, drifting off into his perfect dreamland of nothing but happiness along side Angela and their children, yes his perfect life was there, all there, but then out of nowhere Imhotep appeared and the children and Angela would all vanish and then the knot in his throat grew, he was being strangled, all this was too much...it completely destroyed his will of living... In a bright flash of light he opened his eyes, and there laying next to him was Angela, she was draped across his chest, still asleep.  
  
"Oh my god, the dream...no" he thought "a dream is a dream, it can't be real"  
  
He put his arms around her and hugged her gently, she looked so happy, so relaxed and she awoke, slowly gazing up at him, she smiled.  
  
"It's morning" she said "Time to wake up..."  
  
Wake up to a nightmare, the real world...time to wake up and face reality, reality scary enough that it brought chills to the mind and engravings to your tombstone.  
  
Downstairs, Victor and David sat in the library.  
  
"So the O'Connells and the Carnarvons are back now, perfect...splendidly perfect, So what room are they, I mean is Angela in?" David asked.  
  
"She's upstairs, cabin number eight, it's in the right corridor she almost recognized me but she wasn't quite sure, thankfully, I convinced her otherwise" Victor said as he took off his soldier cap.  
  
"Well, good, now it's my turn to act".  
  
"She seemed pretty happy about something, we managed to hear something about a trip to Luxor, that's where they were all this time, now remember David, you get her to talk and confide in you then you take her--"  
  
"I know, I know, for the love of god, I'm not a five year old, I know what  
  
I'm doing".  
  
"You better David, you better" Victor said as he waved a shot gun in his face.  
  
David sighed and stood up "Don't worry you'll have her soon enough" he said and walked out the door.  
  
*~~~Upstairs~~~*  
  
"Evelyn! Wake up it's morning, time to rise and shine! Come on wake up!" Rick said as he shook the bed, causing her to wake up in shock.  
  
"Rick, what on earth do you think you're doing? The least you could have done was to gently tap me on the shoulder or something" Evelyn replied sleepily.  
  
"Oh right, and risk being punched or slapped in the face like last time? Or  
  
don't you remember back in London when you when you almost knocked me out".  
  
"Oh yes, well I apologize....but please next time say something, don't shake the bed, OK?"  
  
"OK, well I'm going to see Angela and then I'll come back later, bye".  
  
Rick then walked out of the cabin, shutting the door with a slam. Evelyn groaned and slowly sat up to stretch. "I hope he doesn't get himself into trouble". she thought. "But knowing Rick that's one thing that wouldn't surprise me one bit".  
  
*~~~Down the hall~~~*  
  
"Well I'm going out for some breakfast do you want to come?" Angela asked Jonathan.  
  
"I'll catch up to you later, darling".  
  
"OK well, good bye for now...I love you" she said as she walked out the door.  
  
Jonathan smiled and walked over to the window that overlooked the fort and sighed. Suddenly as sound shifted throughout the room, a sound of sand being blown by a light breeze, or was it a snake? He turned and glanced around the room, but everything looked fine. Then whatever it was, came up behind him and stopped, cautiously he took a step forward, not daring to look back. The feeling of someone or something was still there, chills went up his body and he ran for the door. Suddenly in a burst, the window where he had been standing, burst open sucking out what appeared to be two sand figures and then boom! It closed again.  
  
"Oh my god...Angela!!" he thought frantically.  
  
Quickly putting his coat and shoes on, he dashed out the door.  
  
*~~~Corridor~~~*  
  
"Rick!" Angela called out. "Good morning!".  
  
"Hey sis! Good morning...so are you up for some more adventure today?"  
  
"Um well, first let's have breakfast then I'll let you know".  
  
"Yeah that's fine, oh damn I forgot something...wait here, OK?" Rick said.  
  
"OK sure, I won't move an inch".  
  
With that Rick ran down the hallway and disappeared around the corner of the hallway. Angela sighed and looked around, something didn't seem right...this was just way too calm like the other mornings she had experienced in the fort. A hand suddenly touched her shoulder and she whirled around to find the man that she had never expected to see again....David Richardson.  
  
"David! oh my...what are you doing here in Cairo?" she asked in surprise.  
  
"Well, hello to you too" he said with a hint of sarcasm. "No, I'm just kidding...well lets see, I'm here in Cairo so I can go inspect the dig and check out the museum" he answered happily. "and to see you".  
  
Angela blushed "Well I'm sure you heard the bad news about the dig, by now, or did you not?"  
  
"What was I suppose to hear?"  
  
"That the dig was destroyed by an ambush of um, marauders...some of us were lucky enough to escape with our lives...the artifacts were destroyed or are just still sitting out there in the crates still" she said.  
  
"and how have you been? Where is Lewis? Wasn't he suppose to be always by your side?".  
  
"Um well, I've been great, so much has happened that you won't believe it and Lewis, well I haven't seen him ever since the ambush, which to tell you the truth is a blessing from god...I never want to see him again".  
  
"It sounds like you're pretty much loving life right now, so how are your friends?".  
  
"My friends? oh! you mean my brother Rick and his girlfriend Evelyn"  
  
"You're brother...is Rick...O'Connell? and his girlfriend is Evelyn Carnarvon? by any chance does she have a brother named Jonathan?" he said in heart stopping shock.  
  
"Yes, yes, and yes! they know you too!".  
  
"Um well, uh, yeah! we worked in the Museum in London...uh what have you heard about me?"  
  
"Well, not much really, I only know that they know you".  
  
"Oh...ok, um well, would you like to join me for a stroll right now? I know a really pretty part of town that has really nice cafes and you get a great view of the city from Hotel Stack's rooftop... so what do you say?"  
  
"Oh David, as much as I'd like to go...I can't, my brother and I have been trying to spend as much time as possible together, but thank you so much for the invitation, maybe some other time".  
  
"Are you sure you can't put that aside? I mean maybe the weather won't be as nice as it is now."  
  
"Um well I --"  
  
"Angela! sis come on now let's go and--" Rick said and suddenly stopped short in mid-sentence, glaring angrily "What the hell are you doing her, Richardson!".  
  
David went into shock as he saw Rick take Angela by the hand and look at him angrily.  
  
"Angela get back inside your room and lock the door" Rick said as he gently pushed her away. "No actually get a gun and bring it to me".  
  
"Rick, what's wrong?" Angela asked uneasily.  
  
David took a step forward and took a grasp of Angela's arm causing her to freeze in her place as he looked over at Rick then at David. She was going to be the center of their Tug O' War match and she was the rope!  
  
"Let me explain please, I had absolutely no idea she was your sister"  
  
"Oh you didn't! for Christ's sake! I think you did, didn't it ever cross your mind that we were related in a way?" Rick said as he lunged towards him, still holding on to his sister.  
  
David suddenly yanked Angela in front of him abruptly as if she were his shield and he said "I swear I had no idea! Angela never told me her full name! I didn't know! please Rick calm down!"  
  
"Let my sister go" Rick said as he froze in place.  
  
"Um David, please, could you let me go" Angela said as she tried to pull away. "Now, please?"  
  
"We need to talk Angela, I have so much to tell you and show you" David insisted as he pulled her aside. "Tell your brother to back off, it's very important...it's uh um...it has to do with Anton's death".  
  
Angela whirled around and stared at him with shocked eyes. "What is it? do you know who killed him? please tell me".  
  
"It can't be here, please come with me". David said.  
  
Angela turned to Rick and took a deep breath "I'm going with him, Rick...I have to know who killed Anton...please? I'll be right back...I promise...David and I will only be gone for a few minutes" .  
  
Rick stared at David then at Angela...he nodded and gently squeezed her hand as a silent phrase "Be careful". She smiled slightly in return.  
  
"OK then, lets go" David said as he pulled Angela gently, causing her to let go of Rick's hand.  
  
They walked down the hallway, downstairs and made their way to the garden.  
  
"So tell me about Anton...what do you know?" Angela asked as she stopped in her steps.  
  
"I can't tell you here" he replied, as she slowly glanced up at the corridor across from him where Victor stood, staring down at him gravely.  
  
"Please I need to know, tell me! I can't wait!"  
  
He looked at her thoughtfully. Even in great distress her face seemed open, her eyes searching the back of his mind trying to figure out the truth behind the story.  
  
"Tell me Angela, Anton who was your greatest friend. Did you see his body? do you know where it lies? is it back in London? or here in Egypt?"".  
  
Angela suddenly looked confused. "Wait, didn't you know where it was? you said you knew something about him...what is it? tell me damnit! I need to know the truth".  
  
"Can you answer the question?".  
  
"No David, no one knows what became of the remains of Anton, we lost his body in a riot".  
  
"I found someone who says that they know of--". he paused as he saw Victor suddenly appear from behind a pillar about thirty feet from behind Angela. A smile spreading across his handsome face, wicked enough that he seemed to turn into another person, a sadistic killer. David stared at him for a moment, trying to look away.  
  
Angela suddenly sensed it and she looked back, when suddenly a light...a red light went on in the back of her mind...it was Victor! No doubt about it...it was him, he was there ready to take her away, back to Lewis and her hellish past.  
  
"Oh my god" she thought "This was a trap".  
  
She looked back at David and from the look on his face it was impossible to tell if this pleased him or not.  
  
"Who is it?" she asked, trying to go with the flow.  
  
"Who is who? Oh! a man, he's a Bedouin, yes he had some translations and he wanted to show them to whoever was closest to Anton"  
  
"Take me to him" she whispered seductively "I would be eternally grateful".  
  
Suddenly he risked it all and moved in to kiss her, but she backed away swiftly.  
  
"Ah, but you choose the oddest moments for your little advances" she said breathlessly "We were talking of...of a tragedy were we not?".  
  
"Of being alone perhaps and being at the wrong place at the wrong time and the things that grief drives one to do" he said with an innoceny smile.  
  
"Ok.....well......come on!!" Angela said as she suddenly took off in a swift run that took him by surprise.  
  
Victor suddenly glared at David and without any words he took off after Angela who looked back as he came after her.  
  
"Oh my god, horses" she thought. "I need one! I need one now!!".  
  
She looked across the garden and seeing two soldiers appear guiding their horses into the middle of the fort she smiled and ran for one. Shoving the soldier aside she mounted the black stallion, pausing only a while as Victor came running towards her.  
  
"Angela! I recommend you get off that horse...now!" he shouted angrily "Get off!".  
  
Angela snickered and turned the horse around heedless of Victor's warning. "I don't think so, you'll have to kill me...I'd like to see you try" she thought.  
  
"Stop that horse now!" he called demandingly. "Get off of it!"  
  
The horse suddenly took off and she was just getting it to galloping speed when Victor stopped in his footsteps and pulled a rifle out, much to David's shock who looked at him in terror and then at Angela.  
  
"No Victor! what are you doing!" he shouted frantically. "You can't be serious! Put the gun down!".  
  
With his eyes locked on Angela, Victor aimed the gun to her back and steadied himself. Ready to fire and fire he did but to his surprise David grabbed him, taking him off guard and pointed the gun skywards where two shots were fired, cracking the otherwise still air.  
  
The horse which Angela rode suddenly reared back at the sound and stood on its back legs, throwing Angela off. Tumbling in a heap of sand and rock, she hit the floor where her head smacked straight into the adobe wall, in a hit hard enough to knock her out instantly. David felt his heart stop in terror as her body lay limp and lifeless on the sands a few yards away from him.  
  
"What the hell David!" Victor shouted infuriated at the action, yanking the gun out of David's grasp.  
  
"What did you expect me to do? Watch you shoot her!! I'm not like you or any of Lewis's thugs!" David replied "Now come on we can't just stand here! We need to help her out!".  
  
"Miss O'Connell! oh my god!" a voice suddenly said "Miss O'Connell!".  
  
Victor and David look over at the unconscious body of Angela and looked about five feet away from her where a soldier stood.  
  
"Christian! goddamnit!" Victor growled.  
  
Christian ran to Angela and kneeled down beside her, frantically trying to wake her.  
  
"Miss O'Connell, please say something" he murmured as he took her hand into his and gently squeezed it. "Please say something"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Help! anyone please there has been an injury...I need help!" he shouted "Please help".  
  
Mark suddenly appeared from the barracks and stared out at the sight in horror. "What the hell happened? what one earth are you--". he said, but got cut off by Christian who suddenly picked up Angela in his arms and steadily walked to the cabins.  
  
"What are you doing?" Mark shouted "Christian!"  
  
"I'm being soldier!" Christian shouted back as he struggled up the stairs "If you don't want to help...then back off!".  
  
Mark sighed as he regretted his actions from the week before and ran to him, helping him carry Angela up the stairs carefully.  
  
"Who caused this?" Mark asked suddenly, his voice filled with suspicion "Did you see anything?"  
  
"I don't know, I heard two gunshots and when I came out I saw Miss O'Connell lying on the ground unconscious and I, oh wait, come to think of it I saw two men standing about twenty feet away from her and one had a rifle and other looked completely scared...oh my god...it was them, I have a big feeling they had something to do with this!". Christian said suddenly in horror after having had calmly explained the situation.  
  
As they kicked the door as opposed to knocking, Rick opened suddenly with a smile on his face but his expression changed dramatically at the sight of his sister's unconscious body being held by the two soldiers.  
  
"Oh goddamnit! Angela! sis! answer me! please oh god Angela answer me! you can't be dead! you can't be!".  
  
"She got thrown off her horse after two gunshots were fired, apparently she had been trying to get out of the fort when it happened" Christian said, as he and Mark set Angela carefully onto the bed. "From the looks of it she suffered quite a strong concussion".  
  
"Was there a man with her?" Rick asked suddenly.  
  
"No, no one was with her but I did see two men, a few feet away from her and one was holding a rifle, he looked like he was a foreigner from around the area of Yugoslavia and the second man was also in his early to mid- twentys and he looked like a Brit, he's been here hanging around a lot the last couple of days...he looked awfully panicky."  
  
"What did he look like?"  
  
"Um, dark brown hair, dark eyes, uh about this high" Christian said as he showed Rick. "He didn't have a gun though."  
  
"David...it had to be him, damn bastard...I knew I shouldn't have let my sister go with him! Where is he?! ok here's my gun, I'm deal with that son of a bitch right now" Rick said angrily, as he reached into his holster, pulled out his gun and ran out of the room, saying "If I have to look for him throughout all of Cairo, I will and I'll personally put a bullet in his head".  
  
"No wait!" Christian called out and stood up, but it was too late.  
  
"I'm going to catch up to him, he can't take the law into his own hands, those men may be heavily armed and dangerous and we can't have another murder take place" Mark said as he peered out the door. "Something tells me those men may have had something to do with the murder of Anton Laramen, maybe they wanted to get rid of her as well...goddamnit...I'll be right back,stay here and watch over her".  
  
Christian nodded and handed him his gun. "Glad you're finally acting like a true soldier, Mark, take careful precautions. I'll take her of her as best I can".  
  
Mark nodded back and ran out after Rick.  
  
Looking back at Angela, Christian walked to the clothes drawers where a water pitcher stood, he took it in his hand and carried it over to her where he sat down and pulled out a handkerchief and put some water on it.  
  
"Oh Miss O'Connell, please wake up...you need to wake up" he said softly, as he gently padded the cloth on her head, cleaning off the sand and dust. "This action will not go unpunished".  
  
Her still body remained still, she looked dead, but clearly she was breathing shallowly and this worried him more...what kept her in that state? Clearly she was alive but the blow to the head must have been keeping her in a state of shock.  
  
Deep inside her dark dreamstate she was experiencing something else: One afternoon three years ago, when she had dusting and organizing some priceless china and a few books on British History and Asia in the Calabar mansion, she had heard the voice she had come to hate more than her own father.  
  
"Hello sweetheart, mind if I join you?" Lewis had asked.  
  
She had politely refused his offer of help and company and had courteously excused herself from his presence with a civility more nefarious than any slap ever given to him. Then in a gesture enough to make her freeze in place she had felt him press himself against her back, his hand sliding around her waist as he softly kissed her neck.  
  
"Why don't you like me being around you Angela? Everybody says we make such a good couple, both of us being young and all, why don't we give it a shot and try to have a child, do you want that sweetheart?".  
  
"Lewis, let go of me...now". she snarled as she tried to wrench herself away from him.  
  
Lewis being a great master of elusiveness, pulled her back to him and renewed his strong hold on her, putting his lips closer to her ear.  
  
"You know, you're such an icy bitch" he said snickeringly. "But you're going to be such a good wife, once we're married".  
  
"For being twenty-one Lewis, you're such a moronic imbecile".  
  
"You won't be saying that in three years".  
  
The words echoed like a brass plate in her mind and suddenly something besides her voice gave way. A single sentence escaped her lips as she whirled around swiftly and swung her arm down viciously with the china pitcher, it's weight and deafening crash becoming a series of echoing angels deep in the depths of her memory. When she opened her eyes to look, she found Lewis lying senseless on the floor, a very interesting sight to see judging by the fact that the cuts and bruises and shattered blue and white delft china gave some really good contemporary artist's touch. The china had been an exceptionally good defense weapon and she stood staring down at him a moment longer. Then deliberately she knelt down as the maids came running in to see what had happened and quickly picking up the shattered pieces of the pitcher, she forced her mind to meet his wincing, dazed, emerald green eyes with a composure even the Nazi's would envy.  
  
"I apologize, Lewis...but you...you uh startled me. I'm terribly sorry I can be so klutzy sometimes, I think it is best that you keep away from me from now on".  
  
With her head held high, she gave him a little smile of satisfaction and walked out of the room, careful and serene as the Sahara after a sandstorm, hoping deep in the back of her mind that he'd be to scared about that to be angry and seek revenge...but oh how wrong she had been.  
  
Outside in reality, Christian looked down at her with a worried look in his eyes, something was going terribly wrong and it showed on her face. She was crying but her eyes weren't opened, she was still in her state of unconsciousness.  
  
"Oh my god, what's happening? Miss O'Connell? Miss O'Connell can you hear me?" he called as he gently shook her, no response.  
  
He looked at the door and groaned in frustration. Suddenly he heard her let out a squeak of desperation and he saw deep struggle and anxiety on her face, frantically he tried to wake her up. He had absolutely no idea what was going on in her head. Angela was still in a sleeplike state and she suddenly gasped for air. Worried, Christian out his hand right above her nose and felt absolutely no air coming out but saw that she was trying to take in air in shallow breaths with all strength.  
  
"God, where are O'Connell and Mark?"  
  
The look inside her mind wasn't good...and if they lasted any longer out, Christian had no idea what was going to happen.  
  
A sudden bell sounded throughout the fort. People were all peering out their cabins. Rick's face was a mask of rage and he started for the fort door, gun in hand. Mark caught up to him and suddenly stopped him.  
  
"No! Mr. O'Connell! You can't!" he said "O'Connell, stop! I order you in the name of her majesty stop this instant!".  
  
"Let go of me, Rennes!" Rick said angrily as she shoved Mark aside.  
  
He ran into the crowd outside of the fort and searched frantically for David. They had moved up and down the streets looking for him. David was nowhere to be found and it wasn't surprising he may have well left the fort altogether during the brief period when no one had been out... the mystery was..."Why? why had he done this to her? what was in it for him?".  
  
"Come on O'Connell, we need to get back to the fort maybe someone saw something, it's best if we get back"  
  
Sighing, Rick nodded resignedly and they head back.  
  
Down the road, Victor was pulverizing the road in his sleek, black '26 Ford Tudor Sedan as David looked back at the road behind them frantically.  
  
"Goddamnit! why didn't you grab her! why didn't you stop that good for nothing soldier! we could have had Angela here! Do you know how angry Lewis is going to be!" Victor was shouting infuriatingly, as he honked the horn of his car.  
  
"Well I'm sorry Victor but I wasn't about to let you shoot her! and what did you expect me to do? run over and grab her and drag her body into the car....no I don't think so...unless you consider the fact that the soldiers would've have chased us and put us into Cairo Prison!" David responded frantically trying with all his might not to have a nervous breakdown.  
  
Victor suddenly braked and stopped the car. Frustrated, he put his head on the steering wheel and groaned. This had never happened and he knew this would look bad on his record (not that assassins kept any). The records of personal evilness were his own and he kept track of his ups and downs. Thankfully much to his relief he had all ups but this one down would cost him big time and he knew he couldn't tell anyone...Lewis especially.  
  
"Ok, let's calm down, we can't afford to have Lewis find out about this mistake and we can't have him find out about me almost killing his fiancÃ©e, he'll kill me as well as you...so bottom line, we can't have him find out, ok? I don't tell him and you don't tell him and we're both fine".  
  
David nodded and sat back in his seat. "So what are we going to tell him?" he asked as he stared out into the street.  
  
"Um, well we're going to tell him that Angela never showed up and that they said that we should come back in the evening possibly around nine" Victor replied.  
  
"Ok, well let's go".  
  
They set out for Hotel Stack, suddenly fleeing the country was an idea looming on their minds as well. It was either fleeing or getting tortured and shot...fleeing was the main objective, getting shot wasn't an option they wanted. On the other hand they had the choice of getting shot point blank and having their bodies shipped out of the country. Lewis was a big lunatic so the last choice was always his favorite...unfortunately for them...their choices were quite different.  
  
*~~~Fort Brydon~~~*  
  
Jonathan enjoyed holding Angela as she slept, listening to the rhythm of her breathing and the soft little moans that she would make every so often. He enjoyed the warmth of her body next to his as he sat by her and caressed her hair, even under these circumstances she seemed so relaxed. The entire day he had spent with her, always checking her every five minutes. Rick still hadn't came back and Evelyn had gone to the museum and to see some of the parts of the city that she had never seen before.  
  
As he began to lay her head down gently on the pillow Angela slowly opened her eyes and asked drearily "What happened? Where am I?....oh my god, what's happening?".  
  
"Shhh, go back to sleep, Angela" he whispered. "It's OK, you're with me".  
  
She laid her head down on the pillow and then he covered her with another blanket. The sky had gotten dark with the setting of the sun about two hours before and it was getting cold.  
  
"I almost lost you today". He said solemnly "I don't know what I'd do without you. I think I'd die"  
  
Angela smiled sleepily "You'll never lose me...I still can't believe David did that to me...I trusted him and he betrayed me no wonder Rick doesn't like him, he's a two faced moron".  
  
Jonathan stood up and looked down at Angela and without another word he walked out of the room, pausing just a bit in the living room. He knew he needed to get some sleep but he needed to look at Angela for just another minute. The love that he felt for her grew everyday and it scared him to think about everything. He had never expected to need anyone his entire life, but he needed her, she was his life now and he shivered at the thought of losing her today. If Christian and Mark had been even a minute late today, David and the man with him would have slain her or kidnapped her, he didn't know what was worse. Thank god they had been there to save her.  
  
"The next person who tries to harm her, I swear I won't hesitate to kill them" he thought.  
  
With that thought he walked once more into the room and sat next to Angela and smiled. "I love you" he whispered.  
  
"I love you too" she whispered back weakly, without opening her eyes.  
  
After an eternal moment of silence, she slowly sat up and snuggled against him as he pulled her close to him.  
  
"When we get back to London, please,please,please remind me that you get to choose the church and the engagement ring that you want, OK?".  
  
Angela sat up suddenly and smiled "Oh my god...does this mean that?"  
  
"Uh um, yes, it means that I'm asking you to marry me".  
  
Angela's eyes were wide and tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks. "Jonathan, I don't know what to say...oh my god...yes! I'll marry you" she said tearfully, as she hugged him tightly to the point where his lungs were starting to run out of air.  
  
"Angela, darling, ok...um" Jonathan choked, as he pulled at her arms. "Then let's not strangle the groom before the wedding".  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's just that, I'm so happy. I can't believe this, it's all so surreal! I'm dreaming, this a dream. Oh I never want to wake up from this moment!" she said happily.  
  
They both sat on the bed holding each other tightly savoring the happiness, until the door came flying open. Instantly they let go of one another and Angela laid down.  
  
Rick came walking in, a look of fury on his face, it suddenly changed though as he saw Angela finally awake. He rushed to her and hugged her tightly as he felt the weight of tons fall from his shoulders.  
  
"Oh thank god you're awake...you don't know how much I suffered. I thought you were going to die, how are you feeling?" he asked "Oh my god, thank you! You're still alive!"  
  
"I'm feeling much better, thankfully... but ugh...my head feels so weird right now, it's in so much pain and I wonder if I can even stand up...or do anything else for that matter".  
  
"The bash to your head was pretty hard so expect it to hurt at least for another day or so".  
  
Angela giggled and winced suddenly. Jonathan gently nudged her and she laughed, wincing more.  
  
"Well, I'm off to have a bite to eat, see you two tomorrow" he said before he walked out of the room. "Good night".  
  
"So, it's time for you to go to sleep" Rick scolded. "After all, this day has been pretty tough on all of us".  
  
"Wait, Rick I need to talk to you for a sec" Angela said solemnly.  
  
"Ok...shoot for it".  
  
"OK um, well I need to talk to you about Jonathan".  
  
"So what's going on with him?" Rick asked curiously.  
  
"Well um, how should I put this in terms you could just not get mad in...um I'm in lo--"her sentence was cut short as a tidal wave of sand suddenly blasted through the window, knocking Rick down to the floor and Angela to the opposite side of the bed where she hit her head and screamed in pain, but both of them not harmed much.  
  
The furniture was mutely looking on untouched by the sudden sandstorm in it's midst. Rick quickly crawled over to Angela, as the spinning sandstorm twirled and suddenly drew away from the open window and gathered in upon itself, taking a human form, transforming into a dark robed Imhotep, looming above all. Though he had not seen them yet, he kneeled down and dropped two lapis lazuli objects which instantly touching the floor, morphed into two scarabs, they scurried towards the bed and scampered up, 5...4...3...2...1.  
  
Angela let out a piercing scream and pounced onto Rick who slid into view of Imhotep's glance. Imhotep strode towards them and stopped.  
  
"My love, it is time to return to Hamunaptra" he said in Egyptian, ignoring the fact that the man who had always foiled his plans was there beside her.  
  
Angela stood up slowly and looked at Rick who while standing up pulled out his revolver. "Oh no you don't, you aren't touching' my sister".  
  
Angela grabbed Rick and pulled aside. Stepping in front of him, as she smiled innocently at the High Priest.  
  
"Imhotep, I never expected to see you again" she said in Egyptian. "Both of us need to talk about our relationship".  
  
Imhotep smiled lovingly and strode to her and stood before her, staring at her silently, his expression hypnotic and his eyes intense with craving.  
  
"Tell me my love what is it that you want? I would move mountains and oceans, even the heavens if you command me to do so, come with me, it is time to make you mine for all eternity".  
  
He took another step forward and she backed away to his surprise. He offered his hand but she only stared at him guiltily.  
  
"Please, we need to speak, it is a very serious matter concerning us...you must listen to me" she insisted.  
  
Imhotep stood tall, arms crossed, a powerful handsome presence, smiling at his beloved with love of ages. "So then tell me my love, what is it that you wish to speak about?".  
  
Rick stood tall and swiftly grabbed Angela. "Get out" he said sternly. "Get out now".  
  
Something within Imhotep's mind suddenly snapped though and he pulled at Angela's other arm. Pulling her with such a force that Rick stumbled and let go of her. In a swift motion, Imhotep grabbed him with his left arm and suddenly his right arm shot out and punched him, throwing him into the wall across the room.  
  
"Rick!!" Angela cried as she ran towards him. "Oh my god".  
  
Imhotep beat her to him and with fists clenched slung his arms like a bat, across Rick's chest sending him spinning into the opposite wall where he crashed onto to the floor with an echoing slam. Rick, not quite our yet stood up drunkenly, trying his best to get to his feet but suddenly realizing much to his dismay that his knees were buckling.  
  
Angela was at her brothers side, kneeling beside him, surprised to see him smiling if somewhat dementedly.  
  
"Rick, please, get out of here, don't worry about me I'll be OK, just let me talk to him! for the love of god! Go! Go before he kills you!".  
  
Rick breathing hard and wincing in pain smiled "No, I can't you're my sister and I'm not leaving you" he said, clearly proud, his pride was always there even in rough times. A definite defect at the moment.  
  
"Get out" she ordered her brother as she deftly took out a locket that her mom had given her.  
  
"Keep it and never forget me" she said dazedly, trembling, her eyes tearing up but chin held high.  
  
"What you must be kidding....tell me you're kidding".  
  
"I won't be needing it...not if what I'm about to tell him causes him to kill me, please Rick, leave"  
  
Over by the door the regal and unstoppable high priest, eyes burning with rage, approached the semiconscious Rick, who was having trouble getting to his feet, and stopped just about five feet from him, suddenly he lurched forwards and grabbed Angela by the wrist, pulling her to him.  
  
"Shall we speak then?" he asked her, as he glared at Rick.  
  
Angela nodded and Rick was just about to resignedly step out of the room, but thought better of it, he had absolutely no intentions of going any farther than that. Hesitating, he turned back to Angela who signaled him to leave once more which he finally did.  
  
"Angela better know what she's doing" he thought "I can't just leave her in there, but if I go in I'm even more of a risk for her because he wouldn't think twice about killing her".  
  
Inside, Angela and Imhotep stood on opposite sides of the room, staring at one another.  
  
"Where shall we begin" he asked suddenly, straightforward as usual.  
  
Angela found to her horror that she couldn't think of what to say! "What is wrong with me?" she asked herself. She didn't know what to think. It was almost like she was starting to have second thoughts, but she couldn't. She loved Jonathan and only Jonathan.  
  
"I am here, speak I am not an image that your in is tricking you to see" he said smiling, that one smile that seemed to always melt her instantly.  
  
She stood by the door staring at him as he walked around the room, then walked to her and cupped his hands on her cheeks, caressing them gently, sending chills down her body.  
  
"You my love, are the most important thing to me now" he said. "and I love you more than life itself".  
  
"Did you not do this Evelyn?" she suddenly blurted out. "Did she not resurrect you and you came back with the idea of sacrificing her?".  
  
"The other woman? No my love, I was being foolish back then, but time has made me realize that I needed to bring you back and with a blessing from Osiris...you resurrected me instead, you have Isiria's mind and body all you need now my love...is her soul".  
  
Angela in complete confusion broke away from him and stood by her bed, leaving him standing by the door. The bizarre moment was ghostly in it's silence and pain filled agony.  
  
"You left me" he said softly all of a sudden.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You left me and in pain I went back to Anck-Su-Namun and that is why I have been cursed all this time with the Hom Dai".  
  
Suddenly the room became deathly cold and Angela suddenly knew that if she made it out alive that this day would be one that she'd remember forever. One for the reason being that she dumped a 3,000 year old high priest of Osiris and two that she escaped death for the third time and had lived to tell about it.  
  
She looked into his eyes and felt her body and her mind freeze. Painfully she realized that she was drifting apart from him, his world, the magic and the intrigue. Her heart was breaking and she felt a deep pang of sadness enter her causing her to feel like crying out for Rick. "Oh my god, I can't do this, I can't, Why can't I say anything? I feel so weak, my chest hurts, I feel like I this has happened before, I feel weak, my mind is spinning, I can't think...my god, how can I say good bye? Help me I can't speak!" she thought nervously. "What can I say to him?".  
  
The room was suddenly turning dimmer and dimmer and she could actually feel the denseness of the darkness surrounding her, engulfing her in a feeling of absolute suffocation.  
  
"Look at me" he said.  
  
Angela looked into his eyes and looked deep, they were so dark, so enigmatic and so hypnotic like those of the lethal Cobra and his intentions were just as suggestive.  
  
"We must rid the world of these foolish mortals, so that only you and I remain to live as the rulers of all this world...the first to die shall be the fools who dared to wake me with their curiosity, they shall be the first to suffer as I have suffered".  
  
"Um I--" Angela tried to say as she turned her back to him and thought in shock, trying to not scream for help...the words he had just spoken had been a slap in the face, her brother and her friends could not die and she looked at the wall for a moment in silence.  
  
She suddenly turned around and lunged at him, causing him to fall back onto her bed. She was on top of him screaming and slapping him viciously unable to control all her confused emotions. "You will not kill anyone! you will not! how can you say those things! and, and you made me look like a lunatic in one of my dreams! and now you are here and you expect me to love you! how can you do this to me!".  
  
He grabbed her wrists and turned the tables causing her to roll to the bed, now on her back as he pinned her hands to the bed. Trying to wriggle herself free she found it was to no avail and she looked up at him, out of breath with wide eyes.  
  
"You do love me, look into your heart and soul and you will realize the truth. You found it in the desert and in your dreams and you cannot forget it so soon, you have to find it now...do not fight me and your emotions".  
  
She unwillingly obeyed and looked into his eyes trying to find meaning to her confused situation. When he felt her body relax against him, he removed his grip on one of her hands and lightly stroked her face. Somehow this relaxed her and she closed her eyes. Imhotep looked down at her and smiled. He released his grip on her other hand and leaned into her face and pressed his lips to hers, giving her a lingering slow and lazy kiss. She obliged and kissed him more ardently as if asking him to increase the rhythm in his lips. Through heavy breathing and gasps for air, she suddenly realized he was trying to spellbind her! And she suddenly managed to scream "Rick! Help!...help me!".  
  
Outside Rick heard her screams and immediately ran for the door, slamming against it, something was holding it tightly locked and a panic rushed through him, realizing that Angela could be in fatal danger.  
  
"I'm coming Angela!" he shouted as he ran to the door, in a sudden answer it flew open and a blast of sand blew out sending him flying over the railing. "Oh holy shit!" he shouted as he reached for the railing, managing to grab onto a rail.  
  
Angela suddenly came running out of the room and ran to him. She bent over the railings and held out her hands to him. "Oh my god, Rick! Give me your free hand! Come on! I'll pull you up!" she yelled frantically. "Come on!".  
  
Rick looked up at her in shock and swung his hand up to hers, where she grabbed onto it.  
  
"Get me up!" Rick pleaded. He now had one hand holding onto Angela's hand and the other holding onto the rail, trying his best to not let go.  
  
"It's all right, now I'm going to pull you up and as I do, inch your way up the rail...hold on please, OK? Please don't let go!" Angela said as calmly as she could. "Oh god, please don't let go".  
  
"I don't plan on letting go, sis, so less talk and more getting my ass over the rail please!" Rick yelled frantically.  
  
They nervously worked together, with Angela looking back towards the room every so often, finally pulling him over the railing to safety. Angela kneeled down by him while he sat on the floor breathing heavily.  
  
"How the hell did you get out?" Rick asked exhaustedly.  
  
"Well, I uh, managed to make a run for it when he blasted the door, at the sound of you slamming against the door I guess he thought it best to blast you out of the way and to the floor below" she replied as she pointed down at the floor below.  
  
"There is just something about me and getting hit by doors, I'm never going to quite understand that" he murmured with a weak smile.  
  
Angela suddenly stood up and gasped, her eyes were fixed on someone or something behind Rick, who was just getting to his feet, he could feel its warm breath against his neck and he took a step forward causing the thing to let out a scream. He whirled around and raised his gun to fire only to have Imhotep bat the gun from his hand. Somehow the phrase of hors de combat lingered above Rick's head like a ten ton pile of bricks, his years as a soldier served him well for that phrase as he had many of his colleagues thrown smack into it with a bloody result. He slowly stepped back, quivering with fear as he clutched onto Angela's hand. Rick wasn't a religious person and he never had been but as he looked back at Angela with horror filled eyes he uttered the Lord's Prayer and closed his eyes wishing somehow that this was a nightmare and that he'd wake up from it, this time his intrepidity wasn't there, no this was sheer terror that he felt seeping into his body for the first time, a terror of being defenseless at his sister's side.  
  
Angela was trembling, weeping hysterically as she saw Imhotep glaring and both of them. On instinct she pulled Rick back abruptly and they both ran down the hallway swiftly.  
  
"You're scared of him?" Angela asked as they ran "OK, I have to admit I'm scared, but you?"  
  
"Um, no, not really, I just didn't want to get us killed that's all" Rick said as he looked back, unable to admit the reality of the situation.  
  
"Rick, you were trembling for crying out loud".  
  
"No, I wasn't!"  
  
"Yes, you were!"  
  
"Where is he?" Rick said as he stopped and looked back in surprise.  
  
"Oh-my-god there's no one there...nothing".  
  
"Nothing at all, but he's got to be here, he couldn't have left" Rick said as he cautiously glanced around.  
  
Somebody screamed, not a woman, not Angela, a man...a thing had done it, echoing down from the ceiling. They looked up in unison and saw nothing but eternal black. As Rick looked back towards Angela...she was gone!  
  
"Angela!" he shouted, no response. "Angela! Where are you!"  
  
Angela ran down the stairs struggling to see as the fort became darker and darker, only lighted by the gas torches and even the stars did not shine. Everything was turning pitch black and the moon was moving into a full eclipse becoming a death like cloak of darkness, even now the torches went out one by one in a domino effect of terror and chaos.  
  
"and he stretched forth his hands towards the heavens and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt". Angela murmured.  
  
The fort was somehow quiet...where was everyone? She looked back. Rick, where was he? She ran into the barracks, nothing, not a person in sight. She ran out and looked around...where was everyone? Suddenly her mind went blank she was unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or the understanding of it all and as she ran into the library, she found herself looking in horror. Five men or what little was left of them were sprawled upon the floor, drained of organs and bodily fluids. Angela screamed and didn't stay around to take their pulse, opening and running out the door quicker than she had came in.  
  
Clambering up the stairs, she stumbled onto the floor taking in the cold fresh air of a night few of stars though the wind was whipping through the fort stirring the plants and sand in a silent whisper.... "Death will come on swift wings".  
  
"Rick!" she called, no response. "Rick! Help!".  
  
Suddenly to her utter horror she realized that nearly everyone was a husk of skin and bones! As she stumbled towards a room, a shelter, she could feel the horrid, sickening husks and see their light silhouettes. This was all too unreal and she felt like suicidal ideas would set in, the ideas that people often get when they no longer can take any more. She ran in the darkness of the fort, weeping.  
  
"You are playing a dangerous game, Imhotep, it is dangerous to all of us. Nobody has to tell you what will happen if my brother gets his hands on the Book of Amun-Ra...you high station and your powers won't help you one bit, but you know that already" she thought. "How could you do this?".  
  
She ran into an empty room and slammed the door behind her and found herself enveloped in the heavy, dense darkness of the room. Leaning herself against the door she sighed heavily, and as soon as she did..it moved suddenly as if an invisible force were trying to push it open, sending her tumbling forward, dumping her rather rudely onto the floor. Glancing up, she found much to her shock that it hadn't opened! It was still closed...what pushed her? Or what had pulled her? she wondered nervously.  
  
She called out in her mind "Rick, help me!".  
  
She got to her feet and began tentatively feeling her way along the wall, her eyes trying to adjust to the change of light. At least the room was empty. She walked into the middle and under her feet she hit something and fell to the floor where she landed in a painful thud. As she reached to stretch her hand which felt like it was broken into two pieces, someone unexpectedly grabbed her, causing her entire body to freeze.  
  
In the hand that held her own, she felt the touch of all her deepest, darkest dreams. She knew deep inside that there was no way to try and fight the controversial feeling of the warm and unexplainable pressure in it's grip that pulled her up so she could stand. Her left hand reached out on instinct in a curious attempt to grab onto something solid and stable so she could brace her body against the painful fall to emptiness. Her heart stopped dead when her hand touched a wall of flesh, a smooth expanse of muscled chest, the hard powerful curve of a shoulder. Her lips were slightly parted on a word, a name to be exact, when that someone kissed her.  
  
Pushing herself away from the person, she backed up a couple of steps and the obscurity surrounded her once again. Her eyes though suddenly focused on something in front of her, so she stared in that direction so she could see what or who it was. A distinct smell of spices and incense...of something exotic invaded her senses and her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest as she continued to stare uneasily at the person. Her mind slowly came to the realization that this person had a very muscular well built chest and her body suddenly began to shake as she saw the face that the chest belonged to and the person's eyes staring into hers, deep and dark as the mystical, but dangerous Indian Ocean. Angela took a few steps back again and felt a pair of hands slip around her waist, causing her throat to release an ear piercing scream. She could clearly hear the person that was holding her, talking to her, but she didn't want to one word and she didn't want to hear the voice, the voice she had heard for fourteen years. She writhed in it's tight hold, breathing heavily like a girl who doesn't want to listen to her parents when they say it's time to go to sleep, trying to get away-- a futile attempt. But her body stopped as the person placed sultry lips on hers, kissing her fervently. Engulfing her in a steamy dream. A dream that if not controlled would become a nightmare in itself, her very worst nightmare.  
  
As the figure turned her towards him, he reached and slowly unbuttoned her blouse, pulling it off just below the shoulders. It kissed her shoulder and slowly worked it's way up her neck where it finally met her lips in a fiery kiss...quickly she turned and shoved him away, gasping for cold air.  
  
"I cannot do this" she said in Egyptian "I cannot be with you".  
  
"Why my love?" Imhotep asked seductively. "What is the problem?".  
  
"I cannot be with you because I....I, do not love you, I am in love with another man...I will tell you once again...I am not Isiria and I cannot lie any longer, I am leaving Egypt and I will never see you again...that is my final decision."  
  
Though it was dark she could instantly feel and see Imhotep glaring at her and his grip on her shoulders became stronger...any harder and she'd break, literally.  
  
"Isiria will be mine and I will have her once again by my side, and you, you will not be an obstacle any longer" he whispered furiously. "You will not interfere between us."  
  
Angela suddenly bolted for the door and frantically tried to pull it open realizing much to her horror that it had locked when she had closed it and she needed a key to open it. "Rick! Rick! Help me! where are you!" she screamed anxiously, tearfully as she pounded and banged on the door for a while, yelling, screaming, but it did her no good what so ever.  
  
Imhotep turned her around so she stood facing him. "Why did you run away from me?" he asked softly "You cannot leave so why are you trying to do so?"  
  
"I, I do not know" she replied nervously, not knowing truly what to say or do as she tried to restrain herself. "Please let me go."  
  
"Forgive me my love, but you must come with to Hamunaptra." he said "Now close your eyes".  
  
Jonathan's voice echoed in her head suddenly rephrasing that very phrase "Close your eyes". Angela stared at Imhotep uneasily trying with the little strength left in her to scream, but she realized much to her body's shock that she wasn't able to.  
  
"Please close your eyes...I promise that nothing shall happen".  
  
She sighed, resigned to her fate of a slow and very painful death, well she waited, and waited, and without warning he kissed her again. "For the love of you" he said in between kisses, as he nuzzled her throat. "I am willing to risk anything, including death itself".  
  
Angela felt weak suddenly and she whispered. "Death itself". Before her mind completely blacked out causing her to collapse in his arms. He smiled, it had worked...the spell had worked it couldn't have been more calm and less chaotic. He picked her up and carried her limp body out the door to the corridor in a position in which she seemed to be an offering to the gods. It was a position of two newly weds that had just started to leave for their honeymoon, in a twisted otherworldly sort of way...all's fair in love and...death.  
  
Rick struggling to get up from the massive headache he was just getting due to the fact that someone had slammed him in the head with a crowbar, was looking around dazedly. "Ow, my head....oh my...god, where's Angela?" he suddenly thought as he steadied himself, his head spinning in a maelstrom of confusion. But Rick was suddenly aware of a presence in back of him again and he looked back expecting to see Angela...close enough. He found Imhotep holding onto Angela's unconscious body, sending a gasp of fear through him, he yanked out his revolver from his holster and trained it at Imhotep's back.  
  
"You get one chance to stop" he said sternly. "Let my sister go....now".  
  
Imhotep kept walking away from him, heedless to Rick's warning, for one, he had absolutely no idea what he was saying and two, he really didn't care. Rick blasted away, swiftly stepping in front of him, blocking his path. The shots hadn't seemed to register much to Imhotep, except some very annoying metal objects stuck in his back, the bullets had made entrance wounds, but not one drop of blood came out. Instead, Imhotep roared with rage and with only a look he sent O'Connell flying across the hallway into Jonathan, who was just running in, knocking him down like a bowling pin...strike!  
  
As Rick and Jonathan dazedly pulled themselves up into a sitting position, they saw Imhotep speaking softly, tenderly to Angela [who was unconscious] in Egyptian as he carried her and held her close to his chest. The goddamn mummy was going to take her!  
  
Rick jumped to his feet and ran for them fast. "No, you son of a bitch you aren't taking her!!" he shouted.  
  
Jonathan took off in the opposite direction and he skidded to a stop at this remarkable sight and any sign of shock got caught in his throat as the dire consequences of them not leaving Cairo sooner, stood holding Angela in his arms, tall...and menacing. Looking at him with loathing and scorn in his eyes, Imhotep looked face to face at Jonathan as if he were trying to decide whether or not he should kill him and how.  
  
"Let her go." Jonathan said as he gathered every last bit of bravery left in him. His own voice suddenly reminding him with a vengeance. "The next person who tries to harm her, I swear I won't hesitate to kill them." He gulped at the remembrance, staring at the unhuman,undead, "next person who tries to harm her".  
  
Seeing that this of course did not work, he repeated the same in Egyptian. Imhotep stared at him for a moment as he stood just a few feet from him.  
  
"What makes you think, you fool, that I would let her go". He said to Jonathan in the same tongue. "Do not interfere".  
  
And with that he sent Jonathan flying into a pillar. A sudden gust of wind blew in and Imhotep seemed to spin into a tiny twister of sand and speed, nothing but a sand tornado that grew larger by the second, spinning with incredible force, suddenly lifting itself into mid air before spewing out of the fort...disappearing into the silent Sahara.  
  
"No!!" Jonathan shouted. "Angela!!"  
  
Rick couldn't believe the sight of that either, Imhotep had taken his sister! He had lost his sister once when they were younger...and he realized that he couldn't lose her again. He was going insane as the crowd had been in the marketplace the year before as he yelled "Angela! No! You goddamn bastard you can't do this to me! Angela! No god! No!"  
  
Jonathan ran to him "O'Connell, calm down, please! We need to set out to Hamunaptra now! There is no time to waste!".  
  
Rick was going hysterical as he remembered the day 16 years before as his uncle's car had driven away from their house as Angela ran behind them screaming his name only to be restrained by her father and carried into the house. Jonathan was not far behind but he kept his sanity by thinking of how much Angela meant to him and the secret that both shared didn't help the mood as it pained him not able to reveal it.  
  
"Well, I couldn't have put it better myself" a voice said from behind them. A voice that pretty much rang the bells of "Oh no" and a few unmentionable four letter words...damn.  
  
Both Jonathan and Rick turned in the direction the voice had came from to find David, Lewis, Vinnie,Victor, and about twenty henchmen, all armed.  
  
"We'll be more than happy to help you out...oh and by the way Rick here's your girlfriend" David said as two henchmen pushed Evelyn forward abruptly.  
  
"What do you want Calabar?" Rick asked, ignoring David altogether.  
  
"Were kind of in a hurry" Jonathan added coldly.  
  
"Oh this won't take long, Jonathan, I mean it's in absolute demand for recovering that, um, you haven't been told of why we are really here. It wasn't a, how should I say, a decision that we just merely skimmed through lightly and truly I hope you know how we thought about it over and over and about the consequences of this as well. Vinnie, the gang, and I have only known you guys for a very short amount of time and although we never doubted your abilities and professional expertise we really need to deal with this. I apologize to interrupt you in such a bad time, but--" Lewis said as he sighed. "But I---"  
  
Placing one hand on Evelyn's shoulder positively shining with sadism at being "honest". If anyone else in the group but Jonathan had thought about looking over, they would have seen a completely new expression of utter bewilderment and confused eyes on Vinnie and Victor's faces which actually revealed clearly that Lewis's noble actions were all a really big newsflash to them and everyone else there.  
  
"What is his plan?" Vinnie wondered "What is he up to?".  
  
"Calabar, get to the point...it's a nice beginning and all but why don't you just explain to us what the hell you really want with us or my sister" Rick said abruptly. "and please don't lie to me, I don't buy that goddamn sweet talk".  
  
"Oh your sister" Lewis grinned innocently. Jonathan's presence suddenly showed that he was actually in a very exuberant mood at that moment. Angela hadn't told her brother or Jonathan and Evelyn the full story about her life with him, cutting out all of the attempted escapes and shouted curses and other unpleasant events and Lewis knew exactly how to change the entire story to his full advantage. "This will be too good".he thought maniacally.  
  
"Oh god...I really did hope that I would not have to do this but I guess you really leave me with no other choice" Lewis said as he motioned one of his men...Victor to hand him a portfolio. "I am really afraid that this turn of uh, events has honestly left us, no other option...it came to--oh how should I say this? it came to something highly undesirable...but I --"  
  
Lewis was suddenly cut off by David "It came to my attention a few days ago that artifacts were missing from the dig at Hamunaptra, being the incorruptible person that he is he couldn't hide the truth from me and soon we discovered as you can see by these papers that the people responsible for the taking of the artifacts and the peddling of them are...you have absolutely no idea how much this pains me to say, Rick...are your sister and Jonathan.  
  
Rick suddenly punched him the jaw, knocking him to the ground. "Don't you ever accuse Angela of something that you goddamn moron, so this is who you've been working for all this time you two faced son of a bitch! I might of known".  
  
David sat up and rubbed his jaw, glaring at Rick angrily. Rick now stared at Jonathan who was at the moment staring at Lewis. Lewis took a step forward and shook his head resignedly and sighed.  
  
"Evelyn, with all your understanding and very extensive knowledge of Egypt and it's history, I'm sure you'll be able to fully understand our worries and anxieties, I mean all of this comes from the deep fear that the most, um no, the single most important dig, being Hamunaptra the dig of the century, cannot be taken away from the world by two very irresponsible people who care for nothing except their own fortune and well being...these two mindless people who would be more than willing to give it to a group of clueless,greedy,power hungry bureaucrats".  
  
"Like you Lewis" Jonathan snapped coldly. "Because I certainly can't think of anyone else that fits those descriptions".  
  
"Jonathan, you hurt me, how can you possibly think such things about me".  
  
"Well, possibly because I almost got my brains blown out by one of your bloody henchmen and you tried to kill me here in the fort when we last met".  
  
Evelyn sat down quietly, abruptly onto a wicker chair, her hand to her mouth and her legs refusing to hold her weight. To his utter shock Jonathan saw her suddenly look hurt and depressed, every inch of her face a look of sadness spelling out a curse, a  
  
final reprimand, that cried out his name, spelling it, engraving it onto his tombstone if he didn't run for it soon.  
  
Digging all his bravery through the deep despair he felt and looking serious and tranquil, Jonathan wished to sell his soul to Satan so that he could have the incredible physical build and strength to kill Lewis with his bare hands, but his mind ended only  
  
wishing for Lewis to be quiet...not quite.  
  
Lewis continued obviously enjoying himself. "I spoke to Jonathan a couple of days ago about this problem and I wanted to talk to Angela privately yet they both seemed so very, very close to one another that it was impossible to do so. To tell you the truth I was extremely afraid that maybe Angela might be just an assistant and a victim of bad loyalty to someone. Now all Jonathan has to do is give us the money and the artifacts and this little problem will be forgotten, erased, whatever you want to call it. But ugh, I see that they tried to change the story to their full advantage with lies and stories of unwelcome advances and beatings, this is so hurtful".  
  
He shaded his eyes with his right hand, overwhelmed with the frustration of all of it. "Rick, believe me when I tell you that as gorgeous as Angela is, I have absolutely no interest in her, whatsoever".  
  
"So why did you try to kill her the last time I caught you".Rick asked suspiciously.  
  
"Oh that too, I don't know what came over me, she told me that she wouldn't give me the artifacts and I, I don't know what came over me...I'm really sorry about that".  
  
"Listen Lewis, I'm not in the best of moods right now, we're kind of in a bit of a hurry...so could you save this for another time" Rick said, as he tried to walk away.  
  
Seeing Evelyn in deep depression was horrible, but seeing Rick worried, sad and on the verge of backing down from a potential fight was more disillusioning than seeing a Med-Jai warrior like Ardeth Bay, at a UN Peacekeepers Meeting with a heart and a peace symbol painted on each cheek singing "It's a Small World After All" and surrounded by little children waving flags from all the countries of the world.  
  
"Where are you going?" Lewis asked as they turned to leave.  
  
"Lewis...I apologize to you" Rick ventured, his voice filled with a tone of sadness. "We're going to look for my sister, she's been kidnapped".  
  
Moving between both Evelyn and Rick to put a hand on their shoulders, Lewis shook his head and sighed sadly. "Please understand, I'd like to help...though I'm not to sure whether or not your sister is to blame for this. I'm certain she didn't do anything to harm anyone. I think her uh, it was her love. It always happens when a very sensible girl falls in love with a very influential and bad role model" Lewis looked at Jonathan, anger in his eyes, as he aimed a sharp look of utter triumph at him.  
  
Suddenly though that look became nothing but a faded remembrance when Rick looked at him suddenly, directing his eyes full of anger and disappointment at him. Jonathan had never felt so completely small and so utterly lonesome. God, why hadn't he died the year before, he thought. It would have been so much better.  
  
"O'Connell I swear it's not like he's telling you the--" Jonathan tried to say.  
  
"Did you take those things? Do you know where they are? Tell me Jonathan" His voice was cold enough for Lewis and Victor to take a few mental notes in their little Black book of Mental Torture.  
  
"O'Connell it's not my --".  
  
"Did you?"  
  
"No and Angela told --"  
  
For only the third time in her adult life, Evelyn looked at him with disappointed eyes and Rick suddenly gave him a left hook, sending Jonathan to the floor with a thump. He looked up at Rick in total amazement as the sharp swell started to go up his cheek. That's when Rick suddenly gave him one final murderous glance, rage outlining every inch of his face.  
  
"As of this moment you are no longer getting near Angela. I'm glad you only got to being friends because I would personally kill right now, so get it clear...stay away from us, I don't want you getting near any of us from now on, do you get that? Now get out!".  
  
"But we didn't ---"  
  
"I said get out!".  
  
Jonathan stood up and turned to walk away only to face the barrel of a gun...Lewis's gun. If he stayed here he had no doubts whatsoever that Rick would probably shoot him, or at least pummel him senseless, but seeing this made him prefer Rick killing him anytime. Either way he wouldn't do Angela any good at all. Swallowing his shock, fear and horror; he backed up into Evelyn and Rick determined to do what little he could to keep him and them alive for as long as possible.  
  
"Going somewhere" Lewis walked towards them. He'd distilled his voice, eyes, and all his other aspects from the purest, deadliest venom possible...obsession.  
  
"Lewis, what the hell are you doing I thought we were going to talk later" Rick said sternly.  
  
"Well Rick, I changed my mind, I'm a very indecisive person but my final choices are usually the ones I stick too...you three are going to take us to Hamunaptra to get those artifacts from the dig, since we will be in the middle of the Sahara, well as they say...they'll be no witnesses...no one will even know that you're gone".Lewis said nonchalantly.  
  
"Bug off, Lewis" Jonathan said. "You have no idea what you're dealing with and truthfully you don't want to know".  
  
"I think we do, Jonathan" David said dryly. "You see I'm looking for the Book of the Dead and something tells me you're pretty in touch with that knowledge of it...you guys know how to use it and what it contains...so what I need is you three to accompany me, there are no options, you're coming and that's final".  
  
"How dare you, David you have no right doing this, the Book of the Dead is highly dangerous! You just can't read from it and see what happens!" Evelyn said frantically, suddenly realizing that she had just blurted out the process.  
  
Rick threw a hard "Why did you say that?" look at her causing her to look away, embarrassed at the henchmen.  
  
A small smile traced David's mouth and he nodded "Thank You ever so, Evelyn now all I need is Angela to read from it and I'm set....or do any of you know? Oh wait, Evelyn you know how to read Ancient Egyptian as well as Jonathan, ha, that power is as good as mine".  
  
"What powers are you talking about?" Lewis suddenly asked.  
  
"Um, well, powers, um, well what I meant was powers as in money, but nothing else. I swear".  
  
"Hanan, the curator, told me that the artifacts they want back are capable of unleashing a curse upon the world...is that the power you're talking about?".  
  
Rick smiled mockingly pushing the sadness deep, causing Lewis to get angrier. "Tell us David, what are the powers? Cause personally I don't think it's money that you really want...come on Dave tell us" Rick insisted.  
  
David looked around at everyone nervously, angry hate-filled eyes focusing on Rick. "It's money, Rick...that's all".  
  
"Really David I heard that the artifacts were to release some kind of curse or grant power to whomever possesses them, so they can rule over the world, getting anything they desired...is that what you want?" Rick replied scornfully.  
  
David glared. "How would you know?".  
  
"I just know,David...why do you want to know?"  
  
David didn't answer, he just thoughtfully looked at Rick.  
  
"Oh David just doesn't want to admit that he wants the powers that the books supposedly have" Rick said. "You hypocrite".  
  
"Now I remember" David said, nodding, smiling and admitting or, he managed to throw a sharp right jab into Rick's jaw, the punch dropped him to the ground, where he lay rubbing his jaw, not quite unconscious.  
  
"Oh my god, Rick!". Evelyn screamed as she rushed to him, kneeling down beside him.  
  
She looked up at David, who was looking down at them. "I always felt like doing that" David said. as he walked way. "Oh and by the way...now you're coming with us, take them"  
  
The henchmen grabbed Jonathan and a struggling Evelyn, followed by Rick who was dragged downstairs.  
  
Lewis got into his car with Victor and Vinnie and laughed. "David is such a bastard, he thinks he can outsmart me...well he has another thing coming, no one tries to outsmart me...no one".  
  
"What do you plan on doing?" Victor asked.  
  
"Follow along with his foolish story of powers and stuff, all I want is the money that those things are worth...I don't believe that foolish superstition and belief of supernatural powers and ruling the world, that is the biggest stupidity I've ever heard of".  
  
"So are we heading to Giza Port" Vinnie asked, as he started the car.  
  
"Yes, the trip is a day by boat and two by camel so we're starting our journey there".  
  
With that the car sped away followed by five other cars, all disappearing into the dark Cairo streets headed for a danger greater than any could imagine, greater than death itself...greater than life itself, and this was just...only the beginning.  
  
Chapter 17....  
  
*~~~Sahara Desert~~~*  
  
Out in the vast,shadowless Sahara Desert the quiet tranquility was suddenly interrupted by the swirling winds of a tornado making its way through the valley where itstopped. The swirling particles of sand condensing, molding themselves, fashioning into a statueof sand...the statue of the High Priest of Osiris and his future mistress. It transformed,color,and textures holding on, forming until finally Imhotep stood there, smiling smugly. Looking as handsome as ever,he looked down at his unconscious beauty and arranged her blouse and jodhpurs, smoothing them out with just a glance, covering her legs, putting some sweet words into her head before he kissed her forehead softly.  
  
Angela stirred and drearily opened her eyes. "Oh my...god." she whispered,not referring to Imhotep. She had suddenly noticed the crates or what was left of some of them and she realized that there was a familiar landmark just ahead...the crushed ruins of the City of the Dead. She looked up at Imhotep as he held her and she whispered "We're back" before suddenly blacking out once more.  
  
Imhotep smiled and closed his eyes, chanting. His handsome face in deep concentration asrecited a spell and though silent it was as if he were rallying the sand around him into a full scale battle with the wind as the sands rose from the desert floor, flying upwards and swirling around the ruins, covering them with a blanket of twisting winds. After five minutes the sand dissipated falling like a sheet of rain, out of it emerging like a gift from the gods...a dark shape, the silhouette of a volcano...the new Hamunaptra. As new as if it had been recently built, beautifully constructed. The sky now starry had turned the desert and the city itself into an azure tingled ivory.  
  
From the distance, he could still see his men in their chariots following him, whips cracking as they rode, charging towards the city with Anck-Su- Namun's mummy, that had been the worst mistake he had ever done and looking down at his true beloved he thanked the gods for having her in his arms, before swirling back into a dervish and vanishing into the once ruined city of Hamunaptra.  
  
Soon he found himself alone in the grandly pillared chamber where in the center, the strange twisted alter of granite stone and smooth obsidian surface gleamed in the torch light, there he placed Angela. The first stage of his power, the memory sleeper he'd cast ad been successfuland she was in a peaceful sleep. All he needed now, that vial, he needed the elixir and the incantation to bring Isiria back, but first.....  
  
"We must dress you appropriately so you will completely be mine once the incantation is fully complete" he whispered lovingly. "What I now need are some slave girls to prepare you".  
  
With that he pulled out the Book of the Dead from under his arm "This time the Med-Jai shall not stop me".he said. Then opening the book, he read an incantation as he strode to a large granite door in the chamber, holding it like a Holy hymn book as he chanted the ancient spell from the book's dark pages gliding his hand over the wall causing it to burst open.  
  
As the dust cleared he could see clearly standing in the archway, two living mummies of slave girls, no doubt they had been buried with Pharaoh as part of the ceremony for the dead. They both stumbled forward and looked around not sure what had just happened...they looked normal! Absolutely human!  
  
Bowing before him one asked. "What may we do to please you, Lord Imhotep?"  
  
"Prepare her" Imhotep pointed at Angela, who was still asleep and grinned triumphantly. "Prepare her for the spell, dress her in her ceremony garments, she will dance for me once more"  
  
The two girls nodded and walked towards Angela to prepare her...for the dance of her life.  
  
*~~~The Nile,a Steamer~~~*  
  
Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan all sat on the deck, surrounded by guards, neither able to get up or move in any direction. Since their hostage crisis had began all had refused to speak one word to Lewis or David who frustratingly tried to think of ways to make them talk and confess what the Book contained and what the artifacts were worth. Unfortunately money and power never brings out the best of people both on the giving and on the receiving end. In this case though there was an unwilling side and a demanding side that both caused a turbulence in the world of greed.  
  
"For Christ's sake!...talk already, Rick!" David suddenly shouted after an eternity of silence. "Say something!" he shouted again in Rick's emotionless face, glaring at him angrily.  
  
Rick continued to stare back, unwilling to speak. The men were getting restless and anxious as to find out the hidden secrets that the hostages had on their minds. Evelyn had refused to even look at him and Jonathan just whistled English jigs, ignoring the shouts of anger that David emmited.  
  
"Fine! Don't talk! we'll figure out a way to squeeze those words out of you.....or better yet shoot those words out of you".  
  
Rick suddenly laughed and shook his head, finally saying. "David, has it ever occurred to you that I could easily guide you to the middle of nowhere, far from here so that you wouldn't have enough time to make it to Cairo unless you were dead and being dragged by a camel".  
  
David sneered and laughed, frankly unconvinced of Rick's intentions to abandon them. "Oh please Rick, so you honestly think I'm stupid enough to believe that....you'd go to the vile Inferno if you had to save your sister from Satan himself".  
  
"Well, if you haven't noticed you bloody moron...we are going to theblasted Inferno to rescue Angela from one of the undead....the all powerful High Priest of Osiris" Jonathan murmured, suddenly annoyed by David's incessant evil that seemed to be penetrating his mind slowly to the point of migraines.  
  
"What did you say?" Lewis suddenly asked, after so much time of being quiet. "Why don't you repeat it for us?"  
  
"Who? Me? Nothing absolutely nothing, what? Are you going to pummel me?" Jonathan snapped back angrily.  
  
Lewis pitched his revolver to the floor, not realizing that it had just slid by Evelyn, thinking. "Ya, I'm going to pummel you, you idiot" and threw the best left hook he had in him smack into Jonathan's jaw. Evelyn screamed and looked away, suddenly noticing the glimmer of hope...the shotgun.  
  
Quickly she looked up the group, thinking "Oh my god...OK Evelyn, don't panic, just slide the gun over to Rick and he just might reach it".  
  
In the meantime Jonathan looked up at Lewis, as he spit some blood out of his mouth and stared expressionless, for the first time he suddenly realized that he was taking this more like O'Connell...he suddenly didn't care how many times someone punched him and even it hurt or not. With a smile to himself he thought, "Love has it's advantages, I have to keep myself alive for Angela's sake".  
  
Rick sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he stared at everyone "I swear,you guys are going to pay for this" he thought furiously. "I'm going to ring your scrawny little---".  
  
His poetic description was cut off by a coughing Evelyn who while coughing managed to signal him to where the gun was. Rick smiled at her and lip spoke "Thank you". Slowly he picked up the gun as he slid it up the leg of his chair, unnoticed by anyone.  
  
"Goddamnit! I'm going to bed! Figure out a way to make them talk! " David said as he walked down the corridor. "They can't remain silent for long".  
  
Lewis shook his head "OK, you heard the man, six of you will stay at a time, you'll switch every four hours... I think it's time for the rest of us to go to sleep" he said, before walking away "and whatever you do, don't keep your eyes off of them!".  
  
"It won't be the same without you, Louie!" Rick shouted sarcastically.  
  
"and a cheery good night to you, Rick". Lewis answered before disappearing downstairs.  
  
The rest of the men followed, only Victor,Vinnie, and four others stayed behind to keep watch. It was clear that all wanted to go to sleep but none could do so and they hated it, and this Evelyn knew. In a soft tone she slowly started humming a lullaby and nudged Jonathan who immediately started to hum along  
  
"I have no idea what the hell Evelyn is doing". Rick thought. "But I hope it works somehow". He closed his eyes and Jonathan decided to join him as he stopped humming,realizing how odd he must have sounded humming a lullaby to a bunch of guards.  
  
As she continued, Evelyn's voice became soothing to the guard's ears and unable to withhold the sleepiness that engulfed their very souls, one by one, they fell asleep. Only Victor and Vinnie remained awake, much to their dismay...throughout the entire humming session they had kept their eyes fixed on the one would be hummer, their stares never changing position, no blinking, no moving. Vinnie looked down at his watch and sighed "12:35".  
  
"Come on go to sleep" Evelyn thought as she kept humming, closing her eyes,her throat was becoming sore from the endless repetition of the song.  
  
Vinnie though reluctant at first, fell victim to Morpheus's power and soon he was fast asleep, reclining on the rail comfortably, his gun laying beside him as he gently breathed.  
  
Victor looked around and softly tiptoed down the hallway. "They're asleep,thank god no I can finally rest". He thought as he walked downstairs, disappearing from view.  
  
"Evelyn? Jonathan? Come on this is our chance" Rick hissed, still keeping his eyes closed.  
  
Evelyn and Jonathan sat up suddenly and looked around at the snoring group of guards who all lay, sleeping soundly like a bunch of babies. They both smiled simultaneously and slowly stood up as Rick followed. As they cautiously made their way around them, a long silence seemed to surround them, only the sound of the water churning under the boat like a bubbling brook seemed to be the loudest thing. Even under the circumstances it was a quite a peaceful Zen sort of moment.  
  
Then suddenly Evelyn and Jonathan felt themselves being yanked in the opposite direction of the hallway, their feet literally dragging on the floor as Rick, two guns in his holsters, held onto them with both hands as he walked along the deck, carrying them both like two sacks of flour.  
  
"We're going to swim to the far bank and from there we run for it, it doesn't matter where, but we have to get as far away from them as possible" Rick said suddenly as he stopped.  
  
"Well, we can swim, there's no need to worry about that" Jonathan said. "The occasion does certainly call for it you know".  
  
They all nodded in silent agreement and suddenly they ran for the opposite side of the boat where without any second thoughts they jumped over the railing, back flipping into the icy cold river. Shocking everyone's body, numbing to the very deep notches of their bones. Rick was already stroking towards the far shore and Evelyn followed, soon clambering up the riverbank she found to her happiness that Jonathan was already there standing by Rick, both soaked and dripping wet, shivering with cold, but nonetheless alive.  
  
"Well, now what?".Jonathan asked, as he wrung out his coat. "Next part of the plan ol' chap and fast!".  
  
"Now we run for it" Rick said, as he looked at the steamer that was sailing down the Nile against the current. "Now come on".  
  
"But we don't have any supplies!" Evelyn protested.  
  
"Well we'll get some, now come on!".  
  
Frantically running up the hill, they raced into the desert. Time was of essence and they couldn't afford another set back, this trip was a search and rescue and nothing was stopping them from saving Angela.  
  
**"Where the hell are they!" Lewis shouted at his men. "I tell you to watch them and what do you do? You fall asleep! What do I have to do to get a job done right".  
  
"Lewis, um, they were asleep...how were we uh, suppose to know?" Vinnie stuttered nervously, as he looked around guiltily.  
  
"Ugh! OK you know what? As soon as we get off this god forsaken boat we're going back to the dig site!"  
  
"But we don't know where it is!". One of the men protested suddenly.  
  
"Oh how you underestimate me. It's very simple to find the dig all we have to is go to a Bedouin camp, rent a few camels, ask around and we're set, or do any of you happen to remember where it is?".  
  
"I do" Vinnie replied. "Well, sort of".  
  
"Good then, we're set...this is but a minor set back, lets just not make another mistake, got it?... Now get some sleep...all of you".  
  
At that moment Lewis and David suddenly detected everyone's spirit waning further, but even though not admitting it, so were theirs. It was tough to do this but this was the point of no return in many cases than one and the only thing left was to move forward...into hell itself.  
  
*~~~On Shore~~~*  
  
"Ok--I--think--we--can--stop--now" Rick gasped as he stumbled to the floor in desperate need of air and exhausted from running. "We're--pretty-- much--far--enough--so--they--don't--find--us".  
  
The cold wind made it impossible to breathe freely and so they slowed a little ways to small oasis where they struggled to gather some branches and some pinnate palm tree leaves and built a good size fire enough to keep them warm.  
  
"I want you two to get some sleep" Rick said, as they all huddled together by the fire, each taking their own little space. "We're going to rise again around four in the morning, so we can make it to the nearest camp without the sun beating down on us".  
  
Meaning only five hours of sleep, there was absolutely no arguments whatsoever. The idea of traveling under the stars and dawn skies sounded beautiful after the cold air had tortured them.  
  
Rick woke just a little after four and quickly roused Evelyn and Jonathan. They stood up and started their walk over the sand dunes, Rick always leading the way with Evelyn and Jonathan walking behind him. He kept an eye out for any sign of anything that moved, even if he still was drowsy from such a short a sleep he was well prepared for anything that would pop out at them. After a while of walking then, his eyes looked straight ahead where he noticed a sand cloud moving towards them.  
  
"What the hell?" he asked.  
  
"What? What is it?" Jonathan asked. "Is it Lewis?"  
  
"No...it's not Lewis"  
  
"Then who is it?" Evelyn asked uneasily.  
  
The cloud was too far away for Rick to be sure and with the navy blue sky painting the desert an ivory and blue tinge, it was hard to be sure of who or what it was...but he could swear the riders face had painted on them a familiar piece of antiquity, their faces were the tattooed flesh of the Med- Jai!! Of course they could also be a band of nomads or a sandstorm (Which was extremely unpredictable in this part of the desert).  
  
"It's the Med-Jai" Rick said confidently. "Ardeth Bay has got to be with them".  
  
As the horses were clear in view, Rick stood up straight and they all watched as little by little the riders got closer. The rumbling of the horses galloping suddenly getting louder, the sound of hoofbeats quickly joined by a thunder shower of shouts and battle cries filled the air.  
  
"Stop!" Ardeth shouted in Arabic to his men, where they suddenly stopped their horses.  
  
At the sight of the trio, he smiled and jumped off his horse so he could greet them.  
  
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the Sahara without anything to protect yourselves with?". He asked.  
  
"Well would you believe me if I told you that my sister was kidnapped by Imhotep, taken to Hamunaptra and we have just escaped being hostages of Lewis Calabar by jumping off a boat into the Nile again, plus we just spent a night at the oasis eight miles from here" Rick said with a wry grin.  
  
The hard eyed, angular faced Ardeth smiled partly in respect to a valiant fellow fighter, partly to laugh at the story only to realize that he had just heard the creatures name, changing his mood dramatically. And when a Med-Jai changed his mood...god(s) help who ever he's angry at.  
  
"Come now, you shall come with us to the camp, from there we will set out to the site of hell".  
  
Climbing on three horses the trio watched and followed as Ardeth mounted his horse, reared his steed back and galloped off, crying out to the warriors who immediately raced after him, all vanishing into the dawn. In moments, only the dust and echoes of their hoofbeats remained in the lonely desert...far away from civilization, far away from hope.  
  
*~~~Hamunaptra,City of the Dead~~~*  
  
Angela awoke abruptly as if from a terrible nightmare suddenly realizing with alarming clarity that she had just woken to a reality worse than any nightmare her mind could have possibly fashioned for her troubles. She in an instant that she'd been laid a top a sacrificial alter in Hamunaptra's amphitheater for the dead and she was instantly aware that she was cold as well and that almost all her body wasn't covered with any piece of clothing!  
  
"What the hell happened?" she whispered to an invisible, unknown being, as she sat up and looked down at her body finding that she was dressed in a blackish red cutaway skirt and a very small, revealing halter top. "How did this? could he have done this?" she stuttered to herself in a low voice as she examined her jewelry.  
  
Without a second thought she jumped off the alter and ran up the granite staircase only to trip and fall on her knees, causing her to give up suddenly as she sat down in the middle of stairs. Angela mumbled angrily as she rubbed her knees at least she was alone, or at least she thought so until she looked up from where she was sitting on the steps of the chamber. As she froze she saw Imhotep had been standing at the end of the chamber standing between the statues and pillars, observing her, amused as only he could be at a moment like this.  
  
"What are you finding to be so amusing?" Angela asked him, a bit annoyed she was suddenly irritated at being found comical at that moment, of course he only smiled at her.  
  
Angela glared, which only made him ever more amused, he seemed to like to be in control of situations and actually watching how people reacted to them, but his fascination at the emotional effect of the parting look on the soldier of fortune's face had been quite apparent. Just noticing she realized that whenever Imhotep was involved in their togetherness, he was extremely interested in the communication both physical and verbal between both him and her, so it was a possiblity that it was just one of his things that he enjoyed doing.  
  
"My love, the scarabs will not harm you" he said suddenly, causing her to be suddenly thrown back into reality. His deep commanding voice added "I control the scarabs since they have after all been a part of me for so long a time. I have marked you as my own, they will not harm you or let any harm come to you as well".  
  
Angela glanced down to find a scarab made from lapis lazuli resting betweenher breasts where the garment met to for her cover.  
  
"You did this?" she asked as she gestured to her barely clothed body.  
  
Imhotep only smiled and walked to her, where he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, letting his hands slide down her body, causing her lips to release an incoherent cry of rapture as his sultry lips turned their attention from her lips to tantalize the skin of her neck stopping just above her pulse.  
  
"Lord Imhotep" a voice suddenly interrupted in Egyptian.  
  
Angela pushed him away from her suddenly and walked down a couple of steps...to find another person, a girl, about nineteen years of age.  
  
Imhotep glared suddenly. "What is it that you want?" he demanded.  
  
His voice harsh and cold caused the girl to jump and run out of the room suddenly without another word. Angela looked back at him and found him once again smiling and on instinct she smiled fixedly hoping deep inside that she would somehow pass the examination in a good way. As he got closer to her though, she backed away one step down at a time, never taking her eyes off of him, but that only made her more tense and his hand suddenly intercepted her next step down, grasping her wrist tightly enough as to not hurt her. Looking at him nervously she watched as he drew an uncertain finger across her sensual, pouty lips staring quietly into her hazel eyes. Several infinities passed while he hadn't said a word as he studied her features in a trance like state that almost drove Angela to scream. He interrupted that thought though, in a quick instant his dark, obsidian eyes met hers once again burning a hole in her soul with the most painful soul eating question this side of the Underworld.....: "What were you planning on doing?" he asked. "Escaping?"  
  
When she didn't respond, he let go of her hand, walking down the down the stairs several paces, as the muscles in his jaw worked with a strain of a deep, never-ending feeling. He stopped at the bottom of the staircase, stopping just in front of a stone idol of Osiris, god of the dead. Staring at it, he flexed his fingers in a silent frenzy of anger and spite, then suddenly lashed out as if his inner psychologist had just told him to take his anger out on a stone pillow it shattered into dozens of fragments with a single swift hit, causing Angela to gasped in horror as she backed away farther up the stairs hoping that she wasn't the next intended to be broken like that.  
  
Suddenly Imhotep spoke, his voice was eerily calm, fully in control and hypnotically charming with the same deadly determination of a cobra. "You think I will accept your curse any longer as a lesson for others? very well, but hear me well oh traitorous gods, Isiria will be mine, she will be mine!" With another swift back hand, he shattered the second idol that had been directly beside the one of Osiris...It was the idol of Isis, goddess of...rebirth. In a sudden motion his face was a mask of pain and anguish and Angela couldn't bear it any longer, she closed her eyes and sighed but as she opened them she found herself alone.  
  
"What the? Where did he go?" she thought frantically.  
  
Imhotep moved to swiftly for her to do more than gasp as he suddenly imprisoned her shoulders in a hold of stone and titanium. "Remember! You must let Isiria take over you! You must let her return!" he hissed.  
  
Angela only trembled as she looked at him with wide eyes, shaking her head frantically."Please, please let me go...you are hurting me" she cried as he held her tightly.  
  
And to her surprise, he did let her go and without another word or motion,he walked out of the chamber leaving her in it alone with nothing save the mice and the flickering torches. All she needed were some crickets and she'd be set for the haunted temple of doom setting of a weird Indy story gone wrong.  
  
"Now what? I need to get out of here! But how? I have no idea which way to go!" she said frustratingly only to tell herself "God! well I'm not standing here for another minute!" and she ran into the nearest corridor.  
  
*~~~The Sahara~~~*  
  
Out in the vast,neverending desert, four mounted figures rode parallel to the sun, silhouetted sharply as an exceedingly close race for the nearest star. Sun, sky, sand and rocks had melted to single shimmering goblet of gold wine, that was the desert. If it had been a wine, it's perfect name would have to have been "Sahara Gold serving your glass for more than 3,000 years" ironic how there is not one drop of water and yet this would be it's slogan...well almost. And in the heat who wouldn't desire a nice, cold glass of wine no matter where it was from.  
  
"No wonder the buggers live near the Nile, they practically lived in an oven! God when are we going to get there!".  
  
Evelyn laughed. "Honestly now Jonathan, if you can't be nice and say nice things then I think you--".  
  
"Then you have been out in the sun for way too long".he grumbled, completing his sentence with sarcasm as he thought to himself. "Or you simply can't stand to remember that the one you love is with another man who is deeply in love with her as well".  
  
Stress and headaches are never too conducive to elegant moments of poetic inspiration. By Egypt's standards of well being, though, the trip had gone so far smoothly, not counting thechildish take over. The quartet of camels drew to a halt a little distance from a mountain about three miles away from the Med-Jai camp and like a shock of electricity you receive from sticking your hand into a socket when it's wet, all eyes combined their glances on single idol looming about ten feet away. The face of Isis was beautiful, though all the paint had been worn away by endless pounding of sandstorms. Her beauty still showed clearly and suddenly Jonathan dropped into a depression so deep he felt he'd collapse and die right then and there.  
  
"It's Isis, goddess of motherhood and rebirth" Evelyn said in awe, as she dropped into her history teacher mode. "She was a very beautiful and very popular goddess back then, perhaps she was the most important of all goddesses. Many people believed that she was the most powerful magician in the universe. Her cult originally was centered in Abydos".  
  
"She is very beautiful, she reminds me so much of---" Jonathan caught himself and sulked.  
  
"She decrees the fate of people and decides if they are worthy of being reborn".  
  
Jonathan thoughtfully excavated bits of info from the back of his mind."Isn't she the one who brought back her husband, Osiris, after Seth hacked him up into pieces?"  
  
Evelyn nodded "Yes, she is".  
  
He narrowed his eyes at the statue, then looked out at the desert. "To tell you the truth, I'd say popular and beautiful is a very big understatement".  
  
"Come on we must go, it won't take long before we arrive at the camp" Ardeth suddenly interrupted.  
  
"I'll catch up with you three later" Jonathan said dazedly. "I want to stay awhile longer".  
  
"Are you sure?" Evelyn asked curiously.  
  
"Yes, go on ahead".  
  
With that said, the other three rode ahead leaving Jonathan alone as he stared at the statue of Isis. He jumped off his horse and suddenly felt a cool breeze blow throughand he closed his eyes, remembering the last full conversation in a peaceful surrounding that he and Angela had, had.  
  
// "So tell me, Angela, what do you think is so unique and interesting about Egypt?" he hadasked.  
  
"I think being an embalmer- he was one who prepared the mummies for living in the underworld was a unique thing and it was a solid career choice in Ancient Egypt. Embalming was a trade that was handed down from father to son. The embalmers actually lived in the necropolises, or the City of the Dead where they could prepare the dead for burial. Although embalmers were pretty well paid, no one outside of the necropolises wanted to be near them...they smelled awful!" Angela replied with a series of giggles towards the end.  
  
"Well thank god, we don't live back then...with my luck I'd be the Joe who  
  
did that job"  
  
"Oh! and another thing I think you already know this but back then people believed that there was another life after death...which is pretty interesting if you think\about it . From the pharaoh down to the lowest peasant, they believed that they would need their earthly bodies to house their spirits. Preserving the body through mummification in their minds would ensure their soul a home in the day...they could then enjoy a happy stress free life after death, in other words--".  
  
"It was a perfect vision of life on Earth"  
  
"Well yes Jonathan, you took the words right out of my mouth"  
  
"If the soul did indeed use their body as a home then technically speaking Imhotep was in solitary confinement for more than three thousand years"  
  
Angela laughed nervously and nodded "Yes technically, but let's not talk about him"  
  
"Why not?" he had asked suspiciously.  
  
"I love you" she had said and without another word she had kissed him, changing his mind immediately //  
  
Now standing alone in front of statue, Jonathan looked up at the face of Isis and sighed. It was so unreal how all this was happening. Looking back in the direction of which the group had gone to he suddenly felt a warm hand touch his own causing a feeling of deep fear to fill him. It scared him to think what or who it could be, he was the only one out here! His heart was narrowly about to enter total failure and his body trembled violently as he tried to find the words in his head to say, god why hadn't he left!  
  
He swiftly turned around expecting to find god knows what only to find himself looking into the eyes of a woman, his beloved--Angela!  
  
"Oh my god! Angela! How did you--?" he tried to ask only to be silenced.  
  
"I saw you from a distance, looking out at the Sahara, How's it going?" she asked softly. "I really missed you".  
  
Jonathan smiled tearfully. "Oh Angela, I can't believe I didn't hear you or see you for that matter when you arrived"  
  
She smiled and nodded. "I tried to surprise you". She looked at him for a moment, he looked so depressed. "What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me?"  
  
"Of course I'm happy to see you, I just didn't expect to see you here of all places! I thought you'd still be in Hamunaptra or on the pessimistic side...in Heaven for that matter, to tell you the truth I had no idea what to expect!"  
  
Angela laughed, she had always loved how Jonathan would always admit his fears to her and only her. Some men that she had known in the past would have died before admitting their fears, whatever it may have been. "Don't worry Jonathan, no scarabs hurt me or anything else so no need to worry" she said.  
  
"I was worried that you'd be hurt by those blasted bugs" his voice choked from holding back more tears.  
  
"It's okay" she said as she moved closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder.  
  
Jonathan smiled, he loved her and now she was here. Angela yawned suddenly and asked. "God, what time is it?". She moved her head for him to look at his watch.  
  
"It's nine-thirty" he replied.  
  
"Well, I better head back to Hamunaptra, I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is the big day" she said as she looked around apprehensively.  
  
"What! Wait, why are you going back there? You just got out of there!"Jonathan frantically said as he tried to grab hold of her.  
  
Angela smiled weakly and blew a kiss to him and turned to walk away, as she did though, he grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around towards him. "Why are you doing this? You can't be bloody serious! this is a joke" he said, putting his arms around her waist. "Tell me this is a joke!".  
  
"Please, I need to go" she said dazedly as she tried to pull herself away from him.  
  
"No!" he said and softly kissed her, their kiss becoming more fervent as time passed. Their tongues playing with one another in a soft chorus of moans and soft whimpers.  
  
It suddenly ended abruptly, when she suddenly shoved Jonathan away and laughed nervously "Good Bye,Jonathan...I'll see you tomorrow" she said before kissing him on the cheek.  
  
Jonathan froze as he saw her turn and run into the desert and as he tried to move he realized he was cemented to the floor, he couldn't move! All he could do was watch her run down dunes and evaporate suddenly into thin air. All had been a mirage, a phantasm that caused his heart to well up and his legs to lose all feeling.  
  
Slumping down into the sand, he wept "What just happened? Why? What was that for?...god why the bloody hell are you doing this to me?!".  
  
Without another thought he mounted his horse and kicked it, causing it to gallop away into the desert, away from the statue and the horrid place on which it was. Not suprisingly, he felt a chill go down his back as the horse rode away from the statue, something though about it didn't seem natural, not that there was anything natural about gods and goddesses in Egypt. It's presence seemed to be following him and he rode even faster until it was out of sight.  
  
The rest of the gang had stopped for a while and were conversing over issues of the past.  
  
"Hey look, there's Jonathan coming back". Rick said, "Whoa, he's in a hurry".  
  
"I wonder, from this distance it seems like something scared the living daylights out of him" Evie said uneasily. "He is completely pale, my god, what on earth could be the matter?"  
  
Jonathan rode up to them and stopped his horse in a misty cloud of dust and Saharan sand. Rick could tell that he was beyond terrified of something, even as the cloud settled Jonathan was trembling with a look of terror spread across his face, but under all that terror to his surprise and everyone elses....he was flushing!  
  
"Jonathan, what happened? What on earth is the matter?" Evelyn asked. "You look awful".  
  
"Um, well, I uh, then she uh came, then left I uh, then I came riding back, because I, I didn't want to stay there" Jonathan stuttered. "Let's go now, please"  
  
With a flick of the wrists all of them rode away into the desert, the sun was already rising to it's full intensity in the great vastness of the Egyptian sky. Now you may say that all the sky is not just in one country, but this is special, the Egyptian Sky is special, it's a space full of magic, wondrous sites of stars on the evening followed by the cloudless endless sun-filled sky in the morning, this was awe inspiring and adding the perfect setting of the Sahara and you're wildest imagination would set in, giving you daydreams of a lifetime.  
  
"Someone is coming" Ardeth suddenly stated, his hand pointing at a large sand dune ahead of them. "Keep alert"  
  
They all watched in worried silence as a figure suddenly popped out from behind the dune. Coming close enough to identify, they all realized that the little person posed absolutely no threat to them whatsoever, unless it was to a pair of puppies.  
  
"Kaila!" Dismounting in a hurry, Ardeth ran to the child and hugged her tightly as she squeezed him. Holding her he fondly ruffled her long black hair that was now up in a braid. She broke into a series of giggles and squeals of delight as he sat her up on his horse. Like a little soldier she sternly surveyed the desert, her sandy domain of goldenrod waters and sienna patches of cliffs.  
  
"You, you have a daughter" Jonathan asked in shock, hardly believing that this was true. His tone was equivalent to that of Dante's when he was about to enter the ninth circle of hell just barely getting the feel of the icy wind coming from Satan's own pair of wings.  
  
The Med-Jai had always been known to be some of the greatest warriors that ever lived, but nowhere had they mentioned it being a family bonded group of any kind. So it came as a deep surprise to see a little munchkin come running to Ardeth.  
  
"She is my daughter, Kaila" Ardeth explained, as he gently took Kaila's hands from his hair which she was trying to braid like her own. "Her mother passed away a few months ago from a fever and she is now in care of her grandmother".  
  
"She is so adorable" Evelyn said cheerfully, with a smile as the little munchkin kept surveying the area, imitating her father in a cute display of wincing and sighing frustratingly.  
  
Tugging at Ardeth's sleeve for some attention, she started to speak and gabble a very excited, almost frantic message. He nodded sternly and immediately remounted his horse, holding on to Kaila tightly. "Kaila has just reported to me that she has seen the whirlwind of sand traveling in...that direction" Ardeth said, as he pointed forward. "Let us go, we mustn't waste time"  
  
Nodding, the gang drew their horses close and simultaneously galloped away to a day and a half's ride, a ride that would test everyone's sanity and everyone's lifeline.  
  
*~~~Hamunaptra,City of the Dead~~~*  
  
Torch showing the way, Angela guided herself into a passageway in the underground tunnels, her face streaked with deep confusion, her barefeet softly walking along the path. Up ahead of her was light, not the light of the torch but sunlight, filtering down through a crevice above. Smiling, she moved towards it, her hope sky rocketing as she walked faster. Something though stopped her, a feeling, an instinct from the back of her mind...telling her to stop. A feeling of a presence behind her perhaps ten to eleven feet away caused her to feel a chill of utter terror as it swept through her body as she froze and just stood, stock still. The torch kept flickering brightly though with the breeze seeping in from the above crevice but she didn't dare move, something internal told her not to move an inch, not to make a sound, but her curiosity told her otherwise and won her over.  
  
"Who's there?....please answer me...I know someone's there" she said frantically, waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, she demanded "Come on dammit! Tell me who you are!"  
  
"We've met before, come on now, you honestly don't remember me?" the voice said "A place ....the marketplace"  
  
A sharp gasp escaped Angela's lips and she whirled around to find a scrawny, fez warring, little man, narrow shoulders, sunken chest, and a pencil line mustache.  
  
"You! again! But how did you?-- and you were rotting! And now you're here! And you're looking normal!" she said frantically. "How can that be?!".  
  
"Heh, it's not important how and why, all that's important is that I know now who you really are" he said a thin,weasly voice.  
  
"What...do you mean by...that?"  
  
"You're not Isiria, and as much as you tell Prince Imhotep, he hasn't believed one word...has he? But I know that indeed you are not her, in fact you're Rick O'Connell's little sister...Angela".  
  
"I, I am not, uh, her" she replied "What makes you think I am?"  
  
"Do you honestly believe I'm stupid enough to believe that, my master won't be too happy when he knows you tried to escape and that you're loved ones are the ones who killed him".  
  
"Master? you're master is Imhotep!" Angela asked puzzled at the fact.  
  
"Yes, indeed, my master is the great High Priest of Osiris and future ruler of the world...the great Imhotep" replied Beni.  
  
"Oh my god, I should've known, I should've remembered! that explains how you got the ring and why you looked like a mummy! oh my god so the story is true! you were Rick's little back stabbing friend!".  
  
The scrawny, little man didn't acknowledge her and he quickly dragged her down the way she had come, as she struggled, screaming, slapping him but to no use. Shortly they had reached the amphitheater like room and Angela could see once again the altar in the center of the room. As she got pulled further into the room she suddenly noticed something in her surroundings tha she hadn't noticed before, black bog, a decayed residue of human remains mingling with what had been water, a river or channels of despair like the river of Styx of Hades slithered through as bluish, yellowish fires lit up the place, the flames dancing on the torches and pyres like temple dancers trapped within.  
  
Taking everything in for the first time, Angela wondered about the gang and hoped deep in her heart that they were all safe and sound. Gazing at the hieroglyphics on the walls, she failed to notice the little man walk out of the room and another man, quite different appear. Imhotep drew quite close to her, without alerting her of anything, moving with a saunter that so caused people to feel cold chills down their spines. In fact he remembered suddenly, a day when the temple dancers had all been gossiping. Isiria had been alone, meditating against a pillar, when all of the girls rushed over to her and crowded around her.  
  
One of the girls had asked "Oh Isiria tell us! Tell us what is Lord Imhotep like? We are all deeply curious to know. Is he kind? Is he mean? Tell us please! you have spoken to him more than anyone!"  
  
Isiria had opened her eyes and smiled at all of them. They had all since crowded around her and were all helping her to her feet.  
  
"Tell us, Isiria!" they all insisted.  
  
Laughing, she said "Well, Lord Imhotep is a very kind man, the only thing that nerves me though is....he's like a phantom, I swear to you all, if you are not watching your surroundings he'll glide right up behind you and--"  
  
Little had she known that Imhotep had decided to choose that exact moment to appear from the dark shadows, issuing a seductive greeting right behind her right ear, causing her to release an ear piercing scream and fall into almost total heart failure. It had been the highlight of every girl who had jumped back and some had even ran out of the chamber screaming as well. Isiria though, had whirled around to find him with a smile on his face, almost on the verge of bursting out laughing.  
  
"Lord Imhotep! I, I did not know you were here! I, I am truly sorry, I did not mean to say what I said I was just trying to--" Isiria nervously stuttered.  
  
"There is no need to be apologizing to me, Isiria. It is wonderful that I hear you speaking of me, after all, from what it seems you enjoy doing so"  
  
"Indeed" she had murmured under her voice as she blushed.  
  
And with that she had skipped out of the temple, leaving him alone with only the torches and statues to accompany him. Now three millennia later, he was once again close enough to touch her, to enjoy the copious heat and soft hyacinth fragrance radiating from her voluptuous body, he quietly observed Angela as she read from the wall. In a motion so indescribably sensual, she slid her fingertips over the cool granite, caressing it with a soft, delicate touch. Soon Imhote found that he was wishing quite fervidly that she would do the exact same thing to him, letting out a sigh of frustration he continued to stare at her.  
  
At the sound of his sigh, she jumped and turn around to face him, her cutaway skirt flowing in the motion of her body movement. She stare guiltily for a moment, as she thought something over, then suddenly three pennants appeared on her face, the pennants of anger, passion, and embarrassment.  
  
"I was just look at the hieroglyphics on the wall" she said nervously, the angry undertone of her musical voice in extreme odds with her lowered lashes. "The hieroglyphs are so beautiful, mysterious and speak for themselves on occasion. I am thankful that I know how to read them".  
  
Imhotep only smiled, back in Thebes only scribes and people of the high class had known how to read these symbols, no other person could master it, especially not a woman. A temple dancer learning how to read and write in the sacred language was about as likely and just as suitable as the Pharaoh and his army general to don Zoot suits and dance swing music like that of Cheery Poppin' Daddies for a crowd of a million people.  
  
"I cannot believe this is all happening" she said, sighing in amazement, her beautiful breasts rising and falling with the motion as she walked a few feet away from him. "I am so confused!"  
  
"Do not be, soon everything you have forgotten shall return to you and youwill be Isiria once more...your current persona will only be a slowly fading ember in your mind" he said "That is all".  
  
As he cupped her face in his hands and looked at her lovingly they did not see Beni enter from another passageway once more, standing a few feet away to eye the priest and his dancer He smiled evilly and overcame all fear and nervousness with the sight of the happy little couple smiling at one another with the tenderness of a dove....ready to be shot. Catching both their attentions, he laughed. Love and kindness only meant two things to him: Ick and Puke. As he continued to walk towards them, Imhotep let Angela go and her heart suddenly sank: Beni was going to tell him everything about Rick and the gang's relationship to her, Imhotep would dispatch who knows what to kill them....and she'd surely be dead.  
  
Face tight with self-satisfaction, Beni stopped at the sacrificial alter and pulled out four pictures of Rick and her and their parents, plus one of Evelyn and Jonathan. As he was arranging them in a row along the tope of it's smooth, obsidian surface he suddenly spoke to Imhotep in Hebrew. Surprised at first, Angela realized that the little weasel didn't want her to understand a wor he said. Avoiding Imhotep's own language because he knew she'd understand, Hebrew after all was the language of the slaves...it was a tongue both shared.  
  
"What is he saying?" Angela asked Imhotep in Egyptian, afraid of his answer.  
  
Instead Imhotep smiled, putting his arms around her waist as he looked at her adoringly even as his hands glided over her curves. "He has just told me that I should be pleased to have won your heart".  
  
Looking at Beni, she sneered a bit. "Is that all?" she rephrased in both Egyptian and English, as she glared at Beni.  
  
Beni smiled back at her "Perhaps you shouldn't ask so many questions. You see after I finish telling him the rest he'll want your liver, kidneys, brain, and what do you call them? Oh yes, intestines. There won't be enough left of your sweet little body for Rick to bury".  
  
Though suddenly chilled by the revelation that Beni had planned for her,she managed to smile weakly. "Well, for your information Beni, I'll make sure you don't say one word to him".  
  
"Oh really and how do you plan on doing that? You won't know when I tell him or not. He'll want to tear you apart...what's the expression that Rick would use? Oh yes...with the works."  
  
Chin high, she walked away from both Imhotep and Beni and stood at the bottom of the granite staircase and turned to face them, she suddenly called out defiantly to Beni in Egyptian "So you only want to kill me when you get the opportunity to do so? you're jealous that I have Lord Imhotep's attention! so how like a traitor, betray your prince and lie to him about helping him get his loved one back, will you stab him in the back like you plan to do with me?"  
  
Imhotep was suddenly taken back by the comment and glared at Beni who absolutely had no idea what had just happened. The priest strode to him, showing him how high a chin could be held and smirking smugly, looked at him straight in the eyes and punched him. In a blow so savage, so hard that Beni was unconscious before he had landed on the floor.  
  
Angela gasped and taken back from the viciousness of the hit looked at Imhotep timidly, she had accomplished exactly what she had wanted somehow, though she hadn't planned on getting a person knocked out cold. In a motion so easily done, Imhotep picked up Beni's limp body. Angela had long turned away and was not aware of him turning and walking toward and adjoining mausoleum chamber.  
  
Frowning, she turned back and looked at the alter, the pictures were still there! Running swiftly to it, she reached a hand out and slowly slid the pictures into her palm asshe admired them. Hastily she read the message on a picture and picked them up in both hands. Recalling Beni's plan and Imhotep's violent temper, not mentioning the scarabs and other creatures lurking about she moved out of the room and down a passageway. Finding it safe, she stopped under a torch and looked the photos once more.  
  
"Rick, where are you?" she asked apprehensively to herself.  
  
In an instant her mind brought back the scene of Beni being knocked out, the echoes of the punch and thud reverberating in the catacombs of her mind seemed to not leave her and as she shook it off she thought. "That's what happens to little scumbags like you". It almost seemed like she was speaking to him telepathically and she closed her eyes tightly to forget it.  
  
As she continued walking down the passageway she realized how lonely she felt in this great city of the dead and she was the only mortal resident soon to be the next immortal resident if Rick didn't come sooner.  
  
"God I'm lost" Angela said, gliding her hand down the wall. "I want to leave"..  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she suddenly spotted what appeared to be a crevice in the wall, just big enough for a man to squeeze through. "What the hell?" she wondered, as she took the torch above her, into her hand "What can that be?".  
  
Walking to the crevice she saw something shimmer within, making sure no body was behind her, she shrugged "This tunnel may lead deeper into the city, but then again it could be my way out of this place....there's nothing to lose, I'm going in".  
  
Edging through, Angela dropped straight down to the floor of the chamber and as she stood, she dusted herself off and picked up her torch. A shaft of light that was going through a crevice in the ceiling was hitting a pyre like object. Squinting Angela put a torch up to the pyre and lit it. One by one she continued lighting them until the entire room was filled with light, saturating the chamber with reflective light and damn straight it was reflective light.From everywhere the eye could see: light was bouncing here and there, off of the golden surface of statues, jewels, coins, ebony with marble, some ivory, arrays of treasures not capable of anyone imagining shining glittering before she wide, hazel eyes.  
  
"Oh...my...god, Pharaoh's treasure!" she gasped in shock. "It's all the wealth if Egypt in one chamber!...my god, this...is....unbelieveable!"  
  
She turned to look away at the rest of the chamber seeing one of the passageway the fed into the treasure room as if it were the center of the universe with the passages leading to galaxies out in the farthest corners of her memory. The universe collapsed suddenly as a mumbling sound unlike anything she had ever heard, caught her attention: mummies, chopped up but still moving, lower halves and upper halves, stumbling and dragging themselves forward undeterred by her presence. In fact her presence seemed to emanate as much as blood would do to lure a pack of Great White Sharks.  
  
"Okay...you don't tend to see this everyday" she thought as she looked around in awe. "Life has more imagination than we can ever carry in our own dreams" she backed away into a golden throne where she sat, stunned looking at the few mummy chunks that were still squirming and grimacing "Now what do I do? Which way can I go without running into things?" she thought "What is the gang up to!?"  
  
***Out about twenty seven miles away in the middle of the vast Sahara, the little caravan had finally arrived at the great Med-Jai camp. The camp was full of neighboring tents and dozens of camels and horses with dusty packs and rifles slung over them. It almost appeared to be a site of a Bedouin commerce, Gun and weaponry commerce, a few people here and ther were trading food and water, it was like a little village of sorts. Silent, the group climbed off their horses and looked around at the campsite, occasionally looking out at the desert, this was to be home for a day and Evelyn noticed Rick's stricken expression as he watched men and women walking around and talking to one another in low voices, some were laughing, others arguing.....this was a Med-Jai camp? Where was all the training squad?  
  
"I can't believe it" Rick said in shock."This is the Med-Jai camp?"  
  
"Why of course" Ardeth implied. "Did you expect us to be warriors even with our families? we have our lives just like any other person, but our families do come second to our duty as Pharaoh's soldiers, thus we only spend a limited amount of time here in the encampment".  
  
"So at what time are we leaving for Hamunaptra tomorrow?" Jonathan suddenly asked.  
  
"We shall leave camp at 1:00am in the morning it is not much sleep but we will need the darkness to hide us from the creature and from the sun" Ardeth replied "One thing that I cannot quite put together is that Hamunaptra was destroyed...why would the creature return to a pile of stone?" his expression was puzzled as he looked at Rick who only stared back.  
  
"Maybe he forgot something" Rick then answered.  
  
"Or maybe he wanted to pick up something that we accidentally left behind" Jonathan said solemnly "Like the Book of Amun Ra".  
  
"Oh dear" Evelyn responded with a gasp "He's going to make sure we don't have a weapon to kill him, he's beaten us to the only object we need to destroy him....my god we must get to Hamunaptra as soon as possible!".  
  
"How the hell is he going to get in?" Rick asked "Everything is totally destroyed".  
  
"Well, that is a bit of a bugger if you think about it, he'd have to do some serious digging, no, wait, he has his immortal powers, uh well then technically ol' chap we've hit bottom now" Jonathan replied resignedly.  
  
"Gee thanks Jonathan, you ever the optimist" Rick commented dryly.  
  
"I wasn't trying to be a pessimist I was just saying--"  
  
"Forget it, let's just settle in and get some rest, we're seriously going to need a plan if we want to save my sister and make it out with our organs still inside our bodies".  
  
Evelyn and Jonathan nodded in unison and followed him into the camp. Kaila and Ardeth Bay were just walking into their tent, the hot sun was now completely on the poor camp but nonetheless life went on normally. Continuing to walk into the camp, a ringof black clad horsemen made the gang's hearts leap, but they knew they wouldn't hurt them, or at least they hoped they wouldn't. As Kaila came running out of the tent, Evelyn called out to her in their own tongue "Can we speak to your father for one moment?". For a moment Kaila stared at her sternly then smiled and shouted to someone in Arabic before running Evelyn, where she hugged her legs and leaned on her.  
  
"I think she likes you" Rick said with a grin.  
  
"She's adorable" Evelyn responded "I cannot get over how cute she is".  
  
Suddenly a voice called out "You may come". They looked up to find Ardeth stepping out of his tent, signaling them to follow him. Being outsiders, the women of the camp gawked and everyone stared suddenly. Swallowing hard, the trio all shared worried glances and knew that this was a good choice. All silently forced themselves to relax and be calm, there was nothing here that would harm them in the camp and they knew it. But the single minded purpose of protect and serve the world and save Angela, scared them all to death.  
  
Ardeth's tent dominated over all the others, it was like the Taj Mahal of all tents and even in appearance it was beautiful. The procession paused for a moment in front of the entrance and Kaila suddenly stood in front of them, signaling them to stop, at the age of 4 she had the capability of acting like one of dutiful and brave ancestors that had been the keepers of Pharaoh's safety. Hushed words that Evelyn and the gang couldn't quite hear passed between father and daughter before the little girl broke out into a chorus of giggles and let them in.  
  
"So do you have any ideas on what we're going to do?" Evelyn asked with the confidence that she in no way felt all, to Jonathan and Rick. "To tell you the truth I am a bit confused about all of this".  
  
Incense filled the tent as did the smell of spices and sand. They blinked as they let their eyes get use to the dimness, stumbling forward over thick, soft carpets. When finally their vision cleared, they found little Kaila sitting cross-legged on a large pillow that belonged to her father.  
  
"Please have a seat and make yourselves comfortable and tell me....what do you have planned for this time around? Why have you returned to the desert? And what can we, the Med-Jai, do for you?" Ardeth asked, with a calm straightforwardness that send a feeling of relief through all of them.  
  
"We're here because like I said earlier, my sister has been kidnapped by the mummy and she's been taken to Hamunaptra" Rick replied honestly.  
  
"Hamunaptra. That cursed place...the creature must surely be planning once again the end of all mankind"  
  
"None of us doubt Imhotep's power or the curse's consequences...how can we? It's just that now with the curse and my sister mixed into one another, the situation had just gotten to a very personal level and I won't let that son of a bitch win" Rick said, his face turning red with anger and determination.  
  
Ardeth Bay nodded "I understand perfectly, it will give me a second chance to show the creature that the Med-Jai are still quite capable of ridding the world of his cursed being...he will not triumph".  
  
Rick could tell he understood his wish to kill Imhotep again, but as Ardeth's penetrating eyes sank into everyone, they all swallowed and felt as if the warrior was measuring each and every one of their souls. Simultaneously they shifted on their cushions, but neither could actually look away until Ardeth finally turned to look at Kaila, who was silent, deep in thought of stories and playfully mimicking her dad. Evelyn sighed and Ardeth turned to stare at them once more, serious as ever.  
  
"What else do you want? I can tell that killing the creature is not the only thing you want to do. If you had wanted just that, you would have just gone there and damn the consequences" Ardeth said, his eyes interested, but not hostile in the least.  
  
"We want to kill Lewis Calabar" Jonathan suddenly stated calmly, taking everyone off guard, wondering what he would make of that.  
  
"Well, I see you have changed" Ardeth said with a dry chuckle.  
  
"Because I'm not a coward so much anymore, I don't drink and I'm a scholar not a treasure hunter?" Jonathan squeaked, as Ardeth's eyes bore into him again.  
  
"Enough. I know what you are Jonathan Carnarvon. You may try and fool us that you are no longer who you use to be....but to tell you the truth, that matters little now. As for the dreaded high priest" Ardeth said, weighing all his alternatives. "All of us will be needed no matter how brave or how cowardly we may be".  
  
Eyes widening, Jonathan wondered what he could do to help. He was just beginning to be a scholar and really had no special skills, in fact he was just a recent convert into the religion of True Love, Bravery, and No Booze R Us. His heart kept pounding fast with the adrenaline that flooded every inch of his being, but he quietly retained himself from standing up and saying "What are we waiting for!".  
  
When the desert leader, had called an end to their conversation, all had been thankful and Jonathan's nerves weren't all too sure how much more they could take...he needed to see Angela, safe and sound. "So how can we all help? Do each of us get a specific job?" he asked as she shifted again in his cushion.  
  
"I will tell you this first" Ardeth replied "When Imhotep killed our Pharoah Seti, the Med-Jai could not act swiftly at all. Imhotep was needed to preserve Seti's body for the afterlife. Of course he had no choice, it was either that or risk being detected. He had no idea that the Med-Jai knew of his betrayal. Cautiously they all prepared a trap until he stole Anck-Su-Namun's body from her crypt. After the Hom-Dai was cast upon his body, the guards and the high priestess of Isis, Seniat, made sure there were the necessary weapons to stop him....the Salvation, if you could call it that....there were two weapons...the Book of Amun Ra and the Necklace of Isis, if used against the cursed one, he'd be destroyed or purged of his blasphemy".  
  
"There are two weapons?!" Evelyn cried in shock.  
  
"Yes, the stories handed down each generation cannot be doubted at all and so we must find the other weapon, the necklace".  
  
"I- I suppose we cannot doubt the stories. You mentioned the Necklace of Isis...".Evelyn said and held herself back, wondering if Ardeth would say more.  
  
"You are so hungry for knowledge. Our stories tell how if the Necklace is read correctly and truthfully its powers would strip the high priest and make him mortal, thus right for the killing... it would reverse all the plagues and stop the world from coming to it's final chapter".  
  
"Angela has it!" Jonathan murmured, shocked. "Don't you remember!"  
  
"What?!" Ardeth asked in shock.  
  
"Angela has the Necklace".  
  
Ardeth glared and pulled Jonathan to him, hissing "What! How did she retrieve it!".  
  
"Uh, I don't know, she just has the bloody thing".  
  
"We must reclaim it" Ardeth Bay said with a warning look, as he handed Jonathan a cloth. "When you see her...ask her for the necklace...you must put it in this cloth and give it to me when you have it".  
  
"Of course" Jonathan said a bit unsettled "I'm sure Angela will not oppose".  
  
"I will guide you to Hamunaptra" Ardeth Bay finally concluded, and with that the three walked out of the tent and to theirs where they decided to get some must needed rest. There was a long road ahead of them...a long road to salvation...a long road to hope.  
  
**~~~The Nile~~~**  
  
"Goddamnit I can't believe I let you talk me into getting off of the boat back there" Lewis complained frustratingly as the group walked down a large sand dune towards a Bedouin camp.  
  
They passed walking by the Egyptian version of Southwestern United States Sagebrush, otherwise known here in Egypt as Vissigia. As they continued walking closer to the camp, they found that it was rather a trade bazaar of an oasis several miles inland. It's Fig and Date Trees were thriving bountifully along a shallow stream and things couldn't be more tranquil and serene...."couldn't" being the key word here.  
  
"It seems pretty decent here" Vinnie said "Maybe we should spend the night here after a day of some questioning".  
  
"Vinnie, I couldn't have put it better myself" Lewis said, as he walked passed everyone calling out ."Get as much information as you possibly can about the myth of Hamunaptra and damnit don't mess up this time!"  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" David said suddenly. "Start interrogating the natives"  
  
"You know what, Richardson? You are seriously getting on my nerves" Victor hissed as he pulled out his shot gun and aimed it at David's head. "Why don't I just blast you to kingdom come then you can start interrogating....the demons of hell".  
  
"Um, on second thought why don't I go and start interrogating the natives, you guys do what ever you want" David said nervously, as he backed away slowly, keeping his eyes on the barrel of the gun.  
  
"Good idea, you're a smart man David, now go along, ask questions, seek answers, we'll see what we can do from our end".  
  
David nodded frantically and ran into the bazaar, kicking a few stones from his path as he looked back at the henchmen, muttering something angrily while he ran.  
  
"Hurry up, David!" Victor called as he swiveled his shotgun back and forth "We need as much information as possible! now go! go! go!" he continued as he laughed along with everyone else "God life is so sweet". He said.  
  
Yes, Life is sweet but like any other thing in this world it can be sour,bitter, or just plain rotten, just hope that when your chances are one out of four, that it's not the bitter,sour or the rotten, chances are...you'll hate it beyond all comprehension.  
  
*~~~Hamunaptra~~~*  
  
Sitting indian style between two piles of gold and jewels, Angela reflected on everything around her, both mentally andvisually, and everyone she had ever met. The treasure room was unbelievable full of all the riches of Egyptian royalty, but something wasn't right in the chamber as much as it was full of jewels, it seemed to be filled with the presence of sadness and death. For one Angela didn't mind the sadness part, but it was the death feeling in the large hall that caused her to close her eyes and fall back into a pile of gold baubles, heedless to the minor pinches on her back.  
  
"I'm out of solutions" she said to herself frustratingly. "I'm so seriously out"  
  
She didn't see however that a girl had walked into the treasure room crying. Until something told her to look up towards the entrance archway.  
  
"What--the--hell?" Angela said softly as she stood up. "Who's there?" she asked in English, then waiting for a moment she asked in Egyptian. "Please answer me"  
  
"It is only a slave" the weak, sobbing voice replied in Egyptian.  
  
Angela walked over without thinking, slowly getting to the staircase where she saw the girl was sitting at.  
  
"What is wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I do not know what I am doing here in the world of the living...I was in the Fields of Peace with my family and all of sudden I found myself here once again...I am so very confused!" the young girl replied.  
  
"What is your name?" Angela asked, almost feeling a sense of familiarity with the girl.  
  
"My name? my name is Ta-Meri"  
  
Angela stared at the girl for a moment and sighed "Well Ta-Meri, I am Angela" she noticed the depressed expression on the girl's face. "Do not be sad, I am sure we can reunite you with your family once more if that is what you want".  
  
"You, are not Isiria?" the girl asked, as if the shock had just hit with full force.  
  
"No, I am not Isiria, I am what I guess you would call her...twin. Somehow I am connected to her by rites of spirituality or something close to that power of mysticism, your Lord....Imhotep is planning to bring back Isiria from the Fields of Peace".  
  
"and do you want that to happen?"  
  
The question rudely slapped Angela in the face with a sudden blast of fear. "To tell you the truth, Ta-Meri, I really have no say in this matter".  
  
"Like Jantra and I, we both had no choice in this game of his"  
  
As Angela took a seat by Ta-Meri, she couldn't help but ask. "Did you know Isiria? What was she like?"  
  
Ta-Meri jumped at the question and suddenly nodded. "Isiria was my best friend, we had both known one another ever since we could remember......she was the sweetest most caring person that I had ever known. In fact, she was so kind and caring to other people that all of Thebes loved her as if she were a daughter or a sister to all. Many times they would compare her to Pharaoh's mistress,Anck-Su-Namun, and she would always be the one who received all the well thought and good comments, the people would always say that shewas the better of the two and that Anck-Su-Namun deserved no pity or sorrow from anyone since she was a cruel, cold wench to the heart".  
  
Angela stared straight out into the room, not staring at any particular object, deep in thought as the words sank into her mind, when she felt Ta- Meri staring at her, she turned and asked "So Isiria was kind to all? she must have had a lot of friends"  
  
"Indeed, Isiria had many friends, her energetic, high spirited soul seemed to draw people to her and when it came to all her friends in the Temple of Osiris, well, they we all like sisters to her, and she treated them as much" Ta-Meri said happily. "In fact the love that she had for all of the other dancers and I actually brought her to do very brave things that I never thought possible"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Many times if she were to see Pharaoh's soldiers or even the great High Priest, Imhotep treating us a bit too harshly or rudely she would always be there to defend us from them".  
  
"How would she defend you?"  
  
"With words, shocking to all, she would use words to silence them or make them stop whatever it was that they had been doing...her strict often fiery temper granted her the respect of many people including Lord Imhotep".  
  
Angela sighed and smiled. "I can hardly believe that Isiria and I have so much in common, I always thought that I was the only one like this, but I guess I was wrong, there was one other person identical to me in being".  
  
"Yes, it is true, the only thing that would complete you in being Isiria was to have her soul, but Isiria would never accept replacing another person's soul, no matter how much she loved something or someone, she cared for the well being and health of others so I would doubt that she would accept coming back into this world once more".  
  
Angela remained quiet for a moment, what if Ta-Meri was wrong?, sitting there, hesitantly, nervously, she looked away and stared at a lit pyre, it's flames swirling and flickering like the temple dancer within her. It was apparent that she was trying deeply to get the nerve to ask or say something but something told her to wait.  
  
"What is it?" Ta-Meri asked, causing the question within Angela's mind to be shoved to the number one spot on her list.  
  
"I was...wondering, what happened to Isiria and Imhotep? Does anyone know? or did she just disappear?"  
  
"Isiria left Thebes after the day of the Festival of Osiris" Ta-Meri replied, the memory suddenly causing her to cry. "The same day Lord Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun murdered Pharaoh Seti and the Med-Jai cursed both their souls, Imhotep's to the undead and her's to the dark regions where Ammut resides".  
  
"What happened to then to Isiria?"  
  
"Isiria returned after a year and told me that her mind and her heart would not let her be tranquil for even a second...I was very happy that everyone who had been worried about her mysterious disappearance the year before had welcomed her back with open arms as if she had never left".  
  
"She was very loved" Angela replied softly.  
  
"Yes, but the happiness did not last long because she suddenly asked what we, the dancers and the slave girls, had feared...noticing that Lord Imhotep had disappeared and how his name was erased from all view, she asked the High Priestess of Isis and I what had become of him".  
  
"and....what did you two tell her?"  
  
"The Priestess of Isis, Seniat, told Isiria to meet her outside of city that evening. Isiria agreed and all three of us met Seniat at the gates where she took us by chariot....to the City of the Dead"  
  
"She brought you here?".  
  
"Yes, and when we arrived here and climbed out of the chariot, Isiria looked rather confused and distraught. When she asked us why we had brought her to the necropolis, Seniat and I finally had no choice but to tell her about the murder and the curse"  
  
"When you told her, what was her reaction?"  
  
"Isiria, my beloved kind hearted friend, did not believe what she was hearing and she kept telling us that the words we were speaking to her were just nonsense, that we were just telling her all of this as a cruel joke because of her departure, I could stand seeing her like that and I took her by the hand and led her to the statue of Anubis" Ta-Meri took a deep breath and continued. "Seniat then began to read aloud the writings, telling all that underneath the statue, He Who Shall Not Be Named was buried, cursed for his blasphemy against Pharaoh Seti, accomplised by Anck- Su-Namun who did not receive the proper rites of burial. Both cursed to forever suffer, one in the next life and one in this".  
  
"Did Isiria....finally believe you?"  
  
Ta-Meri's eyes swelled up with tears. "She went insane at the moment and began to weep uncontrollably, screaming and shaking her head, denying that the moment was happening. After she was overcome by grief, she collapsed on her knees before the statue of Anubis, asking the gods to forgive Lord Imhotep and to take her soul in place of his...she then began to shout that life could not be so cruel, in an act of desperation and sadness she started to literally claw at the sand, digging, screaming that she wanted to go with Lord Imhotep, that she wanted to join him. It was futile of course, and after a moment she let out a scream of agony before finally falling to the ground at the base where she continued to sob as she caressed the sand and repeated over and over all her moments of happiness"  
  
Ta-Meri stopped and looked up the ceiling of the chamber, it somehow reminded Angela of her mother and how she would look up at the ceiling of the church with tears in her eyes asking the Lord to forgive her for her sins.  
  
A moment of tense silence passed between them before Ta-Meri continued. "Speaking in a clearer voice, Isiria spoke to the sand asking it ''How could you have done this?'' I am so sorry my love...this is truly all my fault...it is all my fault. I should be the one dead and not you"  
  
"My god" Angela tearfully said as she held her hand to her heart, feeling it heavy with an unknown pain. "What happened after that?".  
  
"Seniat and I carried her to the chariot and from there we rode back to Thebes, where Isiria remained depressed" Ta-Meri choked on her words sadly as she suddenly began to sob. "and she died of a broken heart about six days later".  
  
Angela gasped and shook her head. "I cannot believe that" she said as she wept, unable to control herself "I am so sorry".  
  
Ta-Meri dried her tears, finding she was unable to, she smiled weakly. "It was not your fault, you should not feel bad. Isiria would have found out sooner or later....all Thebes mourned the loss of her bright spirit. It was a very sad day, the Med-Jai buried her here in the City of the Dead, in a special chamber, isolated from the world of the living so that her soul could and still may find peace".  
  
"I am still unable to believe all of this, but now I understand why I felt so drawn to Hamunaptra ever since people named it to me.....she was here all along, my twin was here".  
  
"That is what the gods decided to do, they destined her future being to come to the exact place Isiria is located...that is how this was meant to be"  
  
"Yes, what happened the day of her death? If I may know".  
  
"The gods, caused the sky to rain down on Thebes for an unending amount of time, the thunder and the lightning were unlike anything Thebes had ever experienced, the gods were saddened and were somehow showing it by this act of nature...even they felt the loss".  
  
Angela remained silent as tears trickled down her eyes and Ta-Meri suddenly burst out into uncontrollable crying hysterics. Then to Angela's surprise, Ta-Meri hugged her tightly, she hugged her back, both crying and consoling one another like sisters.  
  
"If--it--helps--any--why not let us--be friends?" Angela asked tearfully. "I would feel like I was doing Isiria a great honor by becoming your friend as well".  
  
Letting go, Ta-Meri nodded, a smile slowly appearing on her face as she dried her tears "I would like that very much...this is the only thing at the moment that is truly making me feel more accompanied in this world. I have a friend, one that is the other half of my best friend, Isiria"  
  
"I will try to be the best friend that Isiria was to you and so much more, I will try to be like a sister to you....I promise you that...on my soul".  
  
"Thank you....and I in return, I will help you get out of here. I know they way out, follow me, Isiria would have wanted you to live a prosperous, free life, let us go".  
  
"Very well,Ta-Meri and thank you"  
  
"It is not a problem, now let us go before it is too late".  
  
And with that they ran out of the treasure chamber to find the entrance to the world of the living. A world that little by little seemed to be drifting farther away than anything possible...farther away than anything natural, farther away than anything docile, seeping closer to a reality far beyond real where life and death rolled into one and love and hate create a chemical reaction far beyond the limits of past, present, and future where anything determines the fate all and all determines the fate of one.  
  
Chapter 18  
  
*~~~The Med-Jai Camp~~~*  
  
As Rick stirred, he sat up suddenly...realizing it was 2:10 am. Outside, Ardeth seemed to have not moved an inch since the day before. As for Evelyn, she mounted her horse once again and let herself be guided out of the camp. Jonathan looked a little wane than normal under his tan and he felt somewhat unnerved but he followed nonetheless. After strapping his guns into place Rick mounted his horse and galloped behind them, taking a deep breath of the cool morning air . He stared at Jonathan for a moment before finally catching up to the trio of riders. Life seemed to be a lie, a lie that was destroying the lives of every member of the caravan and all in Hamunaptra. A lie that had begun with love and slowly had transgressed into an obsession,a hate, and a vengeance. Overall it had taken a 360 degree turn for the worse, a complete opposite of how it had all begun and what it could lead to and with much needed sleep the quartet was going to find out indeed what this would lead to....which to some pertained their final...resting place.  
  
"I'm glad Ardeth Bay gave us some time to sleep....we'll be needing all the energy we can get" Rick said  
  
"Yes, but I wonder if that's enough" Jonathan commented questionably.  
  
"Oh please Jonathan, it's too complicated to get into little details about what we have or don't have" Rick answered, knowing it was a bit more than just a plea.  
  
As they rode on, Rick galloped to the lead where he rode along side Ardeth Bay who vigilantly kept watch of the desert as he held a sleeping Kaila. The little girl was the apple of her father's eyes even if he never wanted to admit it, under those warrior attributes lyed a man that was a loving father willing to tell stories to his daughter and to hug her and cherish her as any father would do to his only child...not that anyone ever mentioned this to him, but everyone just knew and were willing to keep it a secret in order to save the warrior's ego from having a crash that could cost them their heads. Evelyn and Jonathan were now trailing behind, their horses trotting along, following the lead of both Ardeth and Rick's horses. The lack of rest had hit them pretty hard and both were sound asleep as they went along.  
  
Vigilantly, Rick kept a close eye on them both as they rode on into the desert. THe coolness of the night began to slowly disappear before the Saharan sun had shown it's bright face and as the glowing heat of the dawn began to assert itsel, the four lone horseback riders stopped to take a short rest and fill their canteens in an oasis, taking sips every so often of water.  
  
Soon they all mounted once more and the small caravan was on it's way again. The slowly rising sun was hidden behind an immense dune-like mesa, along which their horses trotted slowly. The still desert air conveyed something along the line of a ghost town, only the silent whisper of the breeze could be heard and amidst this atmosphere neither of them spoke a word as to not break the silent, tense moment of worry like an pitcher of glass.  
  
Evelyn's horse fell besides Rick's "What are you thinking of? she asked,causing him to jump slightly. "You haven't said a word".  
  
"I'm thinking that...we're almost there....we're getting closer to Hamunaptra"  
  
"How can you be sure? in a year almost everything has changed...one stretch of desert looksmuch like any other"  
  
"Not if you pay attention to the road signs"  
  
"What road signs?"  
  
"Well for one there is the mesa here that hasn't moved an inch as you can see...and there" he said pointing at the sky. "is the star called Sirius, the brightest star in the sky....she's pretty much our guide"  
  
"Oh my dear...it's beautiful"  
  
O'Connell just nodded. They nudged their horses gently and caught up with Ardeth Bay, who had long galloped up ahead on his black stallion, there they began to edge along the mountainous mesa, to face the rising sun which had not quite shown itself at the moment.  
  
"So what should we expect to see?" Evelyn asked.  
  
Jonathan, finally catching up said "Expect to see a whole lot of rocks and piles of them".  
  
"Can't argue with that" Rick said solemnly "But get ready to see hell once more, no matter how destroyed it may be....it will always be hell....now get ready" he sighed "We're about to be shown the way....again" His eyes tightened and he weakly smiled "I hope".  
  
The crimson, yellowish sun was now showing itself, rising above the horizon to inundate the desert with it's bright rays and yet to their wonderous shock...a dark shape was rising along with it too, revealed by the sun's light, it was a silhouette of a volcano, older than all antiquity...but as unmistakable and as undeniable to their eyes and minds. Majestic as nothing else they'd ever seen....it was a landmark created by the gods...or by a god...it was a rebuilt City of the Dead.  
  
"It...can't be" Jonathan uttered "But how?"  
  
"I have no idea" Rick responded in shock.  
  
"My god, it's completely restored nack to it's originality! it looks as if it were only completedyesterday!" Evelyn sat up straight on her horse, stunned at the sight, every detail of Hamunaptra was there up to the last bit of hieroglyphics and intricate paint. "It's absolutely gorgeous!".  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Jonathan asked impatiently "Let's go save Angela!"  
  
"No! Jonathan wa--" Rick tried to say  
  
Jonathan was racing towards the looming, ancient city. Leaving the others behind in even deeper shock, blinking as if their eyes were playing some kind of dreadful joke on them.  
  
"He's insane! he can't make himself known like that!" Rick shouted.  
  
"Well, that's my brother for you" Evelyn mumbled.  
  
"If the creature realizes our arrival we're finished...do you know that!" Ardeth glared angrily.  
  
Finally gathering up their shock, they rode faster. The horses were magnificant Arabian steeds, all black, as the enigmatic night sky without a moon and they rode swiftly like the fiercest siroccos of the Sahara. In the lead, Jonathan was suddenly amazed and delighted by the turn of events and how he was now way ahead of everyone else, though Ardeth was almost ctaching up...Rick was keeping pace with Evelyn as they rode side by side, her hair streaming in the wind like wheat in a field. Ardeth, his face an expression of seriousness and anger, whipped his horse viciously and glanced back to find find Evelyn and Rick beside him, both keeping a fast steady pace...their eyes glittering with anxiety and one true goal. The volcano loomed ahead, guiding them all into the valley where ahead the new Hamunaptra beckoned them to it's interior, it's venom.  
  
Meanwhile, back at Hamunaptra~~~*  
  
"I'm out! I'm finally out!" Angela shouted triumphantly as her voice echoed through the corridor leading to the entrance.  
  
Her torch showing the way, Ta-Meri and Angela were soon clambering up the steps into the sunlight, taking in the cool, fresh air of a new day, though the wind was beginning to rustle a little more a good sign of a coming sirocco, stirring the sands around them in a hushed whisper, they turned to look at one another and smiled triumphantly.  
  
"All I need now is a camel and I would be set, but since I do not have one I guess I will just start walking" Angela said nonchalantly.  
  
"By the gods! they have sent you four horses!" Ta-Meri suddenly squealed, as she pointed out into the desert through the archway "The gods have heard your wish!".  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
""Those! those horses are coming towards Hamunaptra! the gods have answered your prayers!"  
  
Indeed, as Angela turned around to face the arch she saw something her eyes could not believe.Mirages are all but common in the Sahara Desert and as she took off running to the entrance,Ta-Meri smiled. Stopping about a yard out of the entrance to the City of the Dead, Angela continued to look out into the desert where she saw the four horses Ta-Meri had told her about, riding towards the city.  
  
"It can't be...oh my god...it can't be possible, it looks like, Jonathan!" she said excitedly "It's all of them!".  
  
Running down the stone ramp passed the pylons of the city, she stopped and waved frantically.  
  
"I'm seeing things, it's a bloody mirage" Jonathan said, realizing otherwise "It's really Angela!"  
  
As he rode towards her, he decided "To hell with this horse" and he stopped and jumped off of it and ran towards his beloved. At the sight of her running towards him....alive, joy seeped into his body once more. "Why was she dressed like that?" and "How the hell did she get out?" and "Who is that girl standing at the entrance?" ran through his head as well as he dashed towards her.  
  
And as they hugged tightly and cried of happiness, Jonathan picked up Angela and spun her around in circles as she laughed. Putting her down, he kissed her ardently, like a man who hadn't had any water for a long period of time and indeed he drank her kisses like the ambrosia of the gods, it gave him a feeling of utter strength and happiness in his longing,lonely soul. As they parted, his lips still retained their unique put, but though tired and worn he still managed to show a somewhat clear touch of the debonair schoolboy that he was in his rumpled, khaki suit.  
  
"I missed you so much" he said as he choked on his words "You're all right!, but tell me something ...why are you wearing that?" he looked at her somewhat shocked,suddenly realizing with full impact just how little clothes she was wearing, the cutaway skirt and the strapless bra- like top left him somewhat if not completely dumbfounded.  
  
"What is it?" Angela asked curiously.  
  
"You, you uh, you're dressed like a..."  
  
"Temple dancer? yes, I know"  
  
"You look beautiful is all I can say" Jonathan said with a smile, suddenly though it faded as he felt not so lovable at a thought. If Rick didn't kill him there, Imhotep surely would. He was stuck between the sword and very shiny and freshly sharpened sword. "Oh Angela" he groaned, squinting his eyes shut aganist a very blurry vision of a world that seemed to want to kill him "We are so seriously in bloody trouble, but at least you're safe and sound".  
  
Leaning backwards, he flung out his arms and sighed "Well all I can say now is, go ahead and hit me, you'll feel better, after our delay I'm sure you want to kill us. Hell maybe I'll feel better if you hit me, try it" he said as he shut his eyes tightly.  
  
Angela laughed "Honestly, Jonathan, I wouldn't hit you for the world...I'm glad you showed up,I didn't know if I'd make it out of here or not, so don't worry I'm not at all mad at anyone and I'm not going to hit you, the important thing is that at least I'm out".  
  
"We haven't made it out yet" Jonathan said, as he thought "Have I ever been in such a bad situation as this?"  
  
Backtracking through the worn out map of his mind, he grimaced and rubbed his throat repeatedly, turning it bright red at the memory of a name, a name that he would never forget if made it out alive, it was a name that could bring him, his own death, a very slow, painful and horrifying one at that.....:Imhotep. Since the day they ahd made it out alive, he could never forget the sickening,odd feeling of his throat suddenly closing abruptly as Imhotep had picked him up with just one hand while he had futilely writhed and squirmed like a lizard in a snake's coil. His sub-concious had, had the full enjoyment of seeintg him wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, shouting and sweating like crazy as he awoke from his dark, horrifying vision of black and mist, only a vivid view of Imhotep's maddening,evil smug half smile was all that was shown to him.  
  
He opened his eyes and saw that Angela smiled softly and instead hugged him, saying "I love you".  
  
"I love you too".  
  
"Oh! oh,oh my god, I can't believe I forgot to tell you this, this girl here is Ta-Meri, she well, how can I say this...is a three thousand year old slave girl who was brought back by Imhotep and it turns out that she was Isiria's best friend!"  
  
Jonathan glanced over at Ta-Meri who was standing a few feet away, watching their joyous  
  
reunion.  
  
"Hello Ta-Meri, I am Jonathan...a friend of Angela's" Jonathan said in Egyptian, a cute Egyptian with a British accent.  
  
Ta-Meri smiled and replied "Greetings, it is a pleasure to meet you, though it seems you are a little more than just her friend, you are her very close consort".  
  
Taken back a bit, Jonathan smiled "Uh, yes I am her consort, so uh, yes I am a little more than just a friend".  
  
"This is the man that I love"Angela stated, as she took a step forward "I love him with all my heart"  
  
"Lord Imhotep will not accept it" Ta-Meri replied.  
  
"I know and I must figure out a way to somehow be able to--" Angela was cut off by the sound of more galloping horses as Evelyn, Rick and Ardeth rode in.  
  
"Rick!" Angela shouted happily as she ran to him, he had just climbed off of his horse and was running towards her, embracing her tightly as they hugged.  
  
"Angela, oh thank god you're okay...I was worried about losing you again" he said in a relieved tone of voice "You had me so worried"  
  
"You'll never lose me, Rick...never".  
  
"What the hell are you wearing?" Rick asked a bit puzzled.  
  
"Um, well, this is technically Isiria's garment, believe me I was as shocked as you are now  
  
when I first saw it".  
  
"You look good suprisingly enough, I'm glad you're okay, but just one other thing...who dressedyou like that? was it you? who was it?"  
  
"I think it was, um, two slave girls that Imhotep awoke with a spell, that girl over there by Jonathan is Ta-Meri, she is is one of Isiria's friends"  
  
"Wow, well--" he was cut short by a squealing noise that came from the little girl behind him "This is Kaila, Ardeth Bay's daughter"  
  
Angela smiled as the little munchkin appeared from behind Ardeth Bay, the sound of her name had caught her attention and she looked up at Angela and giggled.  
  
"She's so cute" Angela said with a chuckle "Hi, sweetie"  
  
The little girl walked up to her and started to talk and babble and create grand hand gestures as she giggled and looked over at her father.  
  
"What is she saying?" Angela asked Ardeth Bay, as he walked behind Kaila to hold her.  
  
"Kaila, says that you are quite beautiful and that you look like a princess taken out of a story" Ardeth replied coldly "My daughter is quite fascinated by stories of the past and she likes jewelery like the one you wear now as well".  
  
Angela watched him for a moment as he held on to Kaila protectively, before walking to Evelyn and hugging her.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Evelyn asked curiously.  
  
"A bit confused, but otherwise I'm okay, nothing out of the ordinary".  
  
Tired, the gang unloaded some of their things from the horses and pitched their tents. The dying sun ,which at the moment was up in the middle of the sky,was oddly enough...dying! The eclipse was once again repeating itself at a fast speed.  
  
"Oh my god, I think Imhotep knows we're here" Evelyn said frantically. "We must take cover"  
  
"No, I don't think that will be necessary, I mean, I don't think it's him" Angela replied calmly  
  
"How is that?" Evelyn asked  
  
"Well uh, for one I uh think he would have showed up and uh, oh god, I can't lie to you...down below there is another cursed one and another woman whom Imhotep awkened"  
  
"What! oh dear god, Angela are you sure of this?"  
  
"I'm positive! In fact I ran into him a couple of times and just a few hours a go I got Imhotep to knock him out"  
  
"Wait, it's a man?"  
  
"Yes and--" She was suddenly interrupted by Ta-Meri who came running to her.  
  
"Angela! I need for you to come with me once more down to the amphitheater, there I will show you where Isiria lies" She said in Egyptian. "It will be very dangerous and onlywith your consent may we go if not then we shall leave all as it is"  
  
"I do indeed want to go, but I do not want to disturb her tomb I would just you to point it out for me" Angela replied "Let us wait until it gets darker and the moon rises and then we may go down".  
  
Evelyn listened intently, translating their words slowly before suddenly realizing that the conversation had stopped and both Ta-Meri and Angela were staring at her, both with questioning looks as if asking silently "How much did you just hear?" along with "You heard all of this didn't you?".She smiled guiltily and looked at Angela's then serious expression before turning and walking away sheepishly.  
  
Ta-Meri looked at Angela with worry filled eyes and turned to look at Jonathan who was speaking to Evelyn,who then happened to glance over at them anxiously, a look of shock spead across his face as Evelyn spoke to him more with urgent hand motions and pointing fingers over at the two girls who just looked at the two siblings in silence not knowing what to do or say for fear of getting judged anymore than they already were.  
  
"She told him everything" Ta-Meri said suddenly.  
  
"It does not matter,I am glad that she did" Angela replied sternly. "We will not be looking at Isiria's tomb, it is best not to get anyone involved in this matter...instead Jonathan and I will be going to the chamber of the sun god to get some engravings that is all".  
  
"Very well I shall find shelter then to rest, I have been feeling weak and I need to get some sleep and strength back" Ta-Meri said before walking away into the corridor of the entrance to the underground as Angela looked on in guilty silence.  
  
Jonathan walked over to her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her to him "So you're planning a little adventure without me?"  
  
Angela smiled weakly "No, I was just talking to Ta-Meri about Isiria's tomb and how I wanted to go see it...I changed my mind though"  
  
"Oh really? and is it because I'm coming with you?"  
  
"No it's because I don't want my brother following me down there, so I just decided that you and I will go down to get some engravings from the walls, so please don't tell Evelyn or Rick, about my plan for tonight, you know how they are about anyone going down to the underground corridors and I really don't need a scholar and a soldier of fortune telling me what I should or should not do"  
  
"and what about a man who was drunken fool not to long ago" Jonathan asked slyly  
  
Angela giggled "I would gladly take him along any time" and with that they kissed. As they parted Jonathan laughed softly and pressed his forehead against hers, their noses touching as they looked at one another lovingly.  
  
"Why don't we go pitch up the other tents before anyone else realizes that we are the only onesnot working" Jonathan said before taking her hand into his and walking down to the camp.  
  
The quintet hurrily set up the rest of the camp before the deep crimson, eclispsed sun had made its full peak up in the middle of the Saharan sky. As the sky grew slowly redder and darker, the dying sun soon passed and with it the heat of the day died down and Angela thankfully wrapped herself in Jonathan's coat as she watched another day of her nightmare go by in the eternal circle that was revolving around Egypt threatening to engulf her within it in a vortex of heat and desire,threatening to kill all if she refused to step into it's world of darkness and sorcery and threatening to break her sanity if she was not willing to accept the key of another to open her mind and move in for the part of deal that is the escrow, her mind,her body and her soul put into the custody of a third party for the delivery to a grantee only after the fulfillment of the conditions specified are complete...her death, Isiria's life. Knowing there was little else she could think about, Angela lay down in her tent and remained there in silence, meditating and repeating to herself constantly "I'm calm,I'm relaxed, everything will be okay" while the darker part of her mind said "I'm afraid,I don't know what to do, I'm going to die".  
  
Outside, Jonathan opened up the cloth package that Ardeth had given to him, with an uneasy feeling of guilt and second thoughts he remembered how much Angela trusted and loved him and he sighed in frustration. His mind would then slap him with questions of doubt and anguish "Was Angela once a part of Isiria? Had she been the cause of a man ruining his souland her own? What would she do if she indeed became Isiria? Would she kill them all in the name of her love for Imhotep? Did he want to really know that answer? Shaking his head, Jonathan walked into the tent and took a seat down by Angela,who smiled at him.  
  
"Hi" she said softly "Come to pay me a visit?"  
  
Jonathan smiled "Actually I've come to give you something"  
  
"Really? What is it?"  
  
"Close your eyes"  
  
Angela suddenly laughed at the remembrance if the Casbah "Okay, but please don't scare like last time"  
  
"I won't,I promise"  
  
Obediently, she closed her eyes and waited....and waited...and waited. "So what is it?"  
  
Jonathan didn't reply as he sat staring at the scarab resting between her breasts, it had come to life right before his eyes, it wasn't moving from it's place, but he knew deep inside what a livescarab looked like and this one was definitely alive. Slowly backing away from her he stuttered "Angela,darling....uh, look down" signaling to her where to look "You have,uh, a uh, scarab"  
  
Angela slowly opened her eyes and lowered her glance downward and as she did she gasped "Oh my god....he was right"  
  
"Who was right?"  
  
"Imhotep said that the scarabs would not hurt me unless I took this pendant off. He's marked me as his own, so this will keep the scarabs away and people as well if they get near me at all. This comes to life as if they get near and will remain lapis lazuli if they keep their distance"  
  
"Bloody hell! so I have to keep away from you!" Jonathan said frustratingly "This is too much!"  
  
Angela thought for a moment as she stared down at the pendant and sighed resignedly "I guess Imhotep wants me to be somewhat cautious of my actions"  
  
"He is trying to impose his will upon you"  
  
"That may be" she said as she wrapped his coat tightly around herself "But you know that I love you with all my heart and absolutely nothing wull change that...not even a little scarab like this"  
  
"What about Imhotep and Lewis?"  
  
"Not even Imhotep and Lewis...nothing"  
  
Leaning foward, keeping a few inches away she kissed him softly, saying "I love you". Before laying back down and closing her eyes to sleep. Jonathan looked down at her lovingly and sighed "I love you too" before laying down next to her and closed his eyes as he rested. But with a sigh of frustration,he opened them and stared at Angela for what seemed to be an eternity. She was so far away and yet so near that it hurt to think of what could happen.  
  
"I love you Angela and though you possibly are off in another world I will just say that I will never let anything or anyone hurt you and when we get married I promise to make you the happiest woman that ever lived...I swear to you now and always". As he spoke the last words in a soft whisper, he kissed her cheek and fell asleep.  
  
Peaceful sleep,It was sad that the dead could not sleep easy,nor eat...nor stop. Ardeth Bay had suggested to them that the souls were damned for all eternity and thus could not rest from the torments that they suffered. Angela knew what had happened to Isiria and she knew deep withn her subconcious that she was being naive at the whole situation. The Book of the Dead held the key to all knowledge,all power...and all dreams.Dreams that seemed to not occur to them in their sleep filled state of serenity. No, the dead were lucky, or unlucky in some cases one might say to be awake for all eternity....never dreaming...never knowing...never dying.  
  
*~~~Middle of the Sahara,A Trading Bazaar~~~*  
  
"Come on! Doesn't anyone know where Hamunaptra is located!" David shouted angrily at a silent group of Bedouin traders .  
  
The desert went silent as the breeze rushed in creating small dervishes to rise up from the ground as the palm trees swayed gently, as if trying to futily escape some unknown danger that lurked around them.  
  
"I know where you can find Hamunaptra" a voice said slyly.  
  
David turned around suddenly to find a small heavily cloaked man,that was obviously very skinny and shrimpy and a had a thin,pencil line mustache.  
  
"And who if I might ask...are you?"  
  
"My name is...Beni....Beni Gabor"  
  
David smiled confidently "Well Beni, would you be willing to show me and that charming group over there....how to get to Hamunaptra?....Would you be willing to be our guide?"  
  
Beni grinned "Of course, but you will have to pay a good price for me to take you...after all it is Hamunaptra and a trip to Hamunaptra is worth...dying for"  
  
"We're willing to take that risk...how much do you want?"  
  
"How much are willing to give?"  
  
"I'd pretty much say our lives"  
  
Beni's smile grew wider "That'll do"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh don't listen to me, we can discuss prices on our way there...now gather your group and follow me. I'll take you to Hamunaptra and we're all set...but I must warn you...there is already another excavation group there from what I've heard"  
  
"What do you mean...another excavation group?"  
  
"Well I think the groups there are the O'Connell and the Carnarvons"  
  
"No....it can't be"  
  
"Why yes? Why the reaction? do you by any chance happen to know them?...Are you well  
  
acquanited with them?"  
  
"You might say that...but that issue is of no importance to me...just take us to Hamunaptra and we'lll give you what you want"  
  
Beni shrugged "Okay, fair enough deal".  
  
Turning to the group of henchmen David grinned and shouted "Hey! I found someone who can take us to Hamunaptra!...saddle up some horses...we're off to the City of the Dead!"  
  
Victor glanced uneasily over at Lewis who stood stock still, his face masked into a painting like that of Dorian Gray except without the rotting,withering finality of the painting itself...no that was all on the inside. His exquisitely handsome looks seemed to well hide the horrendous,withering, dark visage of his internal wicked feelings and thoughts devoted to the gods that gave to their followers all the pleasures of the senses. Yes, he was the perfect Picture of Dorian Gray and along with this package...his Cybil Vane awaited him just a hand's grasp away, ready for the final act of his dark desires.  
  
"Ready for the journey, Lewis?" Victor asked.  
  
"I'm set, lets get going" Lewis replied with a confident smile "Our wonder is waiting to be fullfilled, and my beloved Angela, won't know what hit her"  
  
"Lewis, why do you speak like this?" Victor asked curiously "Why are you so intent on going to find Angela if you know that she will never be willing to come to you?"  
  
"I've given her so many opportunities to come to me and she's thrown them all away like trash, she mocks me everytime she gets a chance....I'm not playing games anymore, I'm done playing and I'm just simply going to take what is rightfully mine"  
  
"Angela?"  
  
Pulling out a revolver, Lewis smiled weakly, examining the weapon carefully "Yes, Angela...and so much more".  
  
*~~~Hamunaptra~~~*  
  
"Where's Angela?" Rick asked curiously as he set up a few stones for campfire. "I haven't  
  
seen her"  
  
"Asleep" Evelyn replied "She's asleep"  
  
"and Jonathan?"  
  
"I don't know,Rick, I haven't seen him anywhere, I'm sure he's asleep as well"  
  
Rick shrugged then looked over at Evelyn who was sitting down on a small rock, reading a book on Ancient Egyptian Gods. He then walked to her and sat next to her "Evelyn, why don't we go back to Cairo tomorrow I think it would be the best thing we could do,Imean come on we practically have nothing to defend ourselves with here! So why not best that we lead the priest to Cairo and finish him off there where we can get everything we need at the museum?"  
  
"No Rick, we have to destroy Imhotep...here in Hamunaptra. We have to keep as many innocent people out this problem as possible, and if it's possible we'll try to destroy Imhotep before he realizes we are here, though with Angela now missing from the underground...I'm sure it won't take him long to find us here".  
  
"Oh great.....so where is Ardeth Bay? wasn't he here a moment ago?"  
  
"He told me he was going to take a look around the temples and then maybe head back to the Med-Jai camp, he left Kaila so we could take care of her, you know how a child can get after a long journey"  
  
"So where is the munchkin?" Rick asked as he looked around only to look back and see a worried look on Evelyn's face as she surveyed the area. "Oh my god! Evelyn you lost Ardeth Bay's daughter in five minutes of babysitting!"  
  
Evelyn jumped to her feet and started to run into the city, calling out to her as Rick did the same only he ran into the opposite direction. What if the little child had managed to go into the deeper corridors of the city?...What if she were down there? with the scarabs, darkness...silence...and mummies. A little 5 year old could hardly imagine how dangerous those things are...a curious 5 year old child worse of all...curiosity killed the cat.  
  
Rick continued running, calling out "Kaila! Hey Kaila!!". He hurdled a huge block of stone as he hit the ground running fast, trying to get a glance at everything. As he paused for quick moment though suddenly feeling the on coming sideache he noticed something flash across from him. In second he forgot about the sideache as she sprinted like hell for the door, which he had seen move along with the shadow of a girl, who swiftly managed to stop the door in his face, her unapologetic eyes disappearing behind it just as he slamed into it with a curse.  
  
As he looked back he saw Evelyn walking around across the courtyard where the massive columns of the shrine where he stood were located.  
  
"Rick,what on earth are you doing there?"  
  
"Well, I uh, well...I was just surveying the area from here that's all"  
  
"Have you found her?"  
  
"No, and you?"  
  
"Me neither, god, where could she have ran off to?"  
  
****As Angela rested peacefully, dreaming of the Gala of St. Eve that she had gone to with her family when she was five, she felt another little body snuggled against her. Shrugging it off subconciously all she continued to see was her brother at fourteen years of age in a suit, dancing with her as the band played music. Everybody had seen it as the most adorable things that had ever occured at the hall of politics and money....and destiny. During those moments of hapiness as they whirled around the dance floor along with everyone, her father was selling her off to Alan and Valerie Calabar, a signature that gave her to their son of eight years of age....Lewis, when Angela turned twenty one. Her lifelong death sentence if that's what people could call it, a death sentence that she would sooner precipitate than get married....a sentence that seemed to follow her everywhere, in her dreams,her nightmares, her present and....her past. One must escape the darkness or forever be lost in an abyss of infinite pain and infinite repitition.What then?  
  
"Kill him".  
  
As the veil of mist slowly circled around her memories, she could see herself in the maroon dress her mother had made for her as she twirled around the ballroom with her brother as they laughed, and stumbled because of the height difference.  
  
"Rick, aren't you mad that daddy made you wear that?" she had asked as she looked up at him.  
  
He nodded "Dad always wants me to be proper and polite like all the other boys here, but I just want to be a regular boy like the ones at school that are always playing Cowboys and Indians with their friends and most of all I don't--"  
  
"Want to wear a suit?"  
  
"Yes, baby sis, I don't want to wear a suit" Rick had grinned, even then he had the same familiar grin of his that seemed to be very optimistic even in the worst of times.  
  
"I don't like wearing dresses, I want to be like you and run around with the big kids that you play with"  
  
"You're too little"  
  
Angela had suddenly stopped in mid-step and with hands on her hips, she glared and even as a little munchkin her looks were utterly sharp "I- am- not- too- little!" she had screamed, catching the attention of all, who only smiled at her comment. "I am a big girl!"  
  
"You are not! you're always going to be the baby and I'm always going to be the oldest, now when dad goes to heaven I'm going to be your dad and I'll always take care of you and never let anyone hurt you...ever, because you're my little sister and I'm always going to be by your side"  
  
"Really?" Angela had smiled adorably.  
  
"Yes, so lets make everyone happy and dance even though I'm not too good at it, okay?"  
  
"Okay, Rick"  
  
Just they were about to start, a boy stepped into the crowd of eight years of age. He was a very prim, cute boy with a slight air of arrogance in him, wearing a little black tux. Taking careful steps into the crowd he looked around at everyone old and young with a look of supremacy on his face. His hair slicked back and with a confident look, he looked like that Casanova of all the boys his age.  
  
"Rick and Angela O'Connell?" he had asked suddenly, as he drew closer to them, catching the siblings attention as they circled around for a moment.  
  
"Yes that's us, who are you?" Rick had asked curiously  
  
"Me? My name is Lewis Calabar...how are you?" he replied, as he looked at Angela with a sly smile.  
  
Angela had stared at him for awhile and didn'y answer, he seemed so cold and arrogant for his age.  
  
"You're sister is quite shy"Lewis had said.  
  
"Yeah my sister can be like that sometimes" Rick replied, as he nudged her.  
  
"Hello" Angela murmured.  
  
"Angela, you're daddy told my parents and I so much about you"  
  
Angela smiled weakly before curtsing and skipping off towards the food table, giving him a cold slap of uncaring sincerity.  
  
"Wow, my sister doesn't like you Lewis" Rick said with shrug "That's too bad, you two could''ve been the best of friends"  
  
Lewis only smiled through the wounded pride that burned deep within him and shrugged as if uncaring. Childhood can be a very dangerous thing when altered in a hurt, twisted child's mind and Rick had no idea just how close good of 'best' friends Angela and Lewis would become after that fateful day.  
  
With a shock of bright light flashing in her eyes, Angela was jolted awake suddenly as she gasped for air "What the hell? why the sudden drastic change in dreams?" she rubbed her temples as they throbbed in pain, dazedly speaking in a low tone "How come my past is showing up?"  
  
When the pain subsided, she sat up and heard a small whimper. Glancing down she found that little Kaila was looking up at her with welling tears in her eyes.  
  
"Hi sweetie, what's the matter? are you hurt?" she asked in English, though knowing that she did not understand it, she signaled to her in sign language.  
  
"Oh you miss your father...that's it, well I'm your babysitter for now, so I'm going to take of you until he comes back" she smiled and wrapped the little girl in blanket as she caressed her tearful, innocent face and kissed her cheek "How about you take a nap, ok? maybe that will calm you down a bit, a cute little girl like you should not cry... Allah forbids little girls from crying at all" and she laughed softly which caused Kaila to smile and giggle as well.  
  
Jonathan suddenly awoke drearily at the sound of the giggles and rolled onto his side to face them. His eyes slowly opening, he stretched out and yawned...sending the 5 year old into a chorus of laughter and smiles.  
  
"She likes you" Angela said softly.  
  
Jonathan smiled and sat up "Well I like her too, she is quite an adorable little bugger"  
  
Using the power of speaking, which was just gestures, Kaila communicated quite a bit without any single word of sorts as they both found by her curious nature. Kaila was in a way like Imhotep, only she was much smaller and there was little less hurting involved with her, unless she pinched you.  
  
"You like children don't you?" Jonathan asked as he watched Angela put Kaila on her lap and tickle her playfully as both giggled.  
  
"Yes...I do. I can't wait to have a child of my own someday" she sighed suddenly "I would try to be the most loving mother there ever was...so that he or she could have a happy, carefree childhood"  
  
Kaila got up suddenly and crawled over to Jonathan where she began to try and braid his hair as if realizing that he could be her own personal doll.  
  
"No. Kaila. Let go of my hair please. No you can't braid my hair" the child and him struggled for a bit "Kaila, it's too short to braid....here have a mint" he said as he handed the child two mint candies, which she instantly chucked into her mouth  
  
Then like a little cat, she crawled back over to Angela and pointed then in fascination at the jewelery she was wearing, her necklace, ring and bracelet. A curious little sparrow on the search of small seeds and sparkling, gold water. For a moment the child could only stare in awe at the sight of it and then as if gaining the courage, she finally spoke a sentence which was probably asking "May I see them?" or saying "They are very pretty". Angela instinctively took off her bracelet and her necklace as well as her ring and held them out to Kaila who picked them up and looked at them in awe, smiling adorably at them and then back at her.  
  
"You like jewelery, don't you?" Angela smiled lovingly "Those are from my adventures. I've had some of those ever since I came to the dig site in search of a great archaeological find....I found them in an excavation".  
  
"All of it?" Jonathan asked suddenly, taking her completely by surprise.  
  
"Um, well, just the necklace, the ring I bought at the bazaar in Cairo and this bracelet is a gift from my mother to me when I was five, before she left our family"  
  
"Oh...well, um, Angela....may I see the necklace?"  
  
"Sure, go ahead"  
  
Hesistant at first, Jonathan finally picked up the necklace and looked at it for a moment. But as he recalled Ardeth's words a sudden bell rang off in his conscience "you can't take it from her!"  
  
"It's a very beautiful necklace, here" he said, as he handed it back to her "It's lovely".  
  
For a moment both were silent and even Kaila seemed to have quited down, the atmosphere had become heavy with something none could even imagine, and they sat still...waiting for what ever was hanging in the air to leave. Suddenly though, the tent flap blew open, causing everybody even the little child to scream like banshees and jump back into a tight huddle like cowering mice.  
  
"Oh my god! okay we're not suppose to give each heart attacks! for the love of St Peter!" Rick frantically gasped as he stood up and dusted himself off.  
  
Peering inside, he saw the three sirens all huddled together in a ball as they looked up at him with terrified looks in their eyes, as if he were god incarnate ready to unleash the worst retribution ever beset upon mankind.  
  
"Oh, good, Kaila is here, we've been looking all over for her" Rick smiled weakly, as he sighed in relief.  
  
Angela got to her feet slowly and helped the trembling child up "Yes, she's been with us, we've been taking care of her in such a peaceful surrounding up until you abruptly showed up....why didn't you say anything?" she caressed the child's hair as Kaila held onto her waist "You could have afforded us the trauma".  
  
"I thought you were asleep" suddenly noticing Jonathan, Rick glared "And what the hell is Jonathan doing in here?"  
  
Angela sighed frustratingly "Well, he's helping me take care of Kaila.....is that a problem?"  
  
"No, it's a not a problem, I'm actually glad you two are taking care of Kaila....it keeps you three out of trouble...not to mention busy"  
  
"What do you mean trouble?" Angela glared incredulously "and what do you mean busy?"  
  
"Oh, nothing" Rick joked as he walked out of the tent "Nothing at all"  
  
Angela growled and slumped into the sand as Jonathan sighed and scooted next to her "O'Connell will never change" he then tipped her chin so she then faced him, and he looked into amber eyes "He's never going to change"  
  
"You got that right" Angela snickered "But let's just forget it, there's no point in  
  
getting mad about that"  
  
They smiled at one another and kissed tenderly before suddenly realizing that Kaila was looking at them. The child then seeing her opportunity as they parted,snuggled in between them and sighed. Angela shook her head slowly, she could tell the child was getting bored. Children and the desert were a bad combination, children and the Sahara were ten times worse, especially being the daughter of a Med Jai, where most of your life you were even restricted to playing a game of marbles with the boys.  
  
"Poor child, come on let's go outside and play a game with her" Angela said "How about a game of tag?"  
  
"Tag?" Jonathan asked curiously  
  
"Yes, it's a game Rick and I use to play when we were children, someone has to chase the rest of the people around and tag another person, if he or she tags someone then that person is automatically the next tagger, and so on and so forth, it's actually kinda fun"  
  
"Well then, a game of tag it is" Jonathan smiled  
  
Guiding Kaila out of the tent, Angela sighed, the calm surroundings were becoming somewhat tranquil to her nervous mind and it all seemed to guide her to a place of rippling waters and a small stream with songbirds chirping and trees softly whispering as the breeze of Indian Summer blew in. Ah, she could still remember when her parents would take Rick and her to their uncle's house out in the middle of the forests of Michigan. She had loved it though she was only a tiny five year old at the time, but then, she had come to hate it ever since that baumy October afternoon when she had heard her mother yelling to her father....they were arguing and it seemed to intensify as the time had passed. Rick could only hold her as their little rowboat came into the cove of the lake.  
  
"What's happening Rick?" Angela had asked "Why are mommy and daddy fighting?"  
  
Rick had looked at the house and sighed sadly, shaking his head slowly "They're just mad about mom asking to be separated from dad, don't worry Angie, it'll be all right they'll be happy soon, okay?"  
  
Angela had waited and soon it flashed to her in a split second that both were in the family car, as their parents sat in the front seat silent. Then the dreaded day came when her mother had came into her room while she had been asleep and woken her up to say that she was leaving and that she had a gift for her.  
  
"What is it mommy?" the little girl had asked sleepily.  
  
"Honey, I want you to have this, always keep it with you...close to your heart and never forget me, I love you so much and I'll come back....I promise" her mom had said with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Don't cry mommy, I love you too"  
  
"Don't tell your brother or your daddy until later, okay?" her mother had instructed as she sobbed and slipped the locket around Angela's neck "Inside there are two pictures, one of your dady and I and the other of you and your brother, keep it always and never forget me, I have to go now" she had said before she had given her daughter a kiss on the forehead and tight embrace, before walking out the door.  
  
Angela had looked out her window and seen her mother get into a cab, she had looked up and smiled weakly before waving softly 'good bye' as the cab sped away. Then her life had changed abruptly, as she had spoken the words of her doom... everything had crashed with the sounds of brakes, plates crashing, trains exploding, and people screaming, everything had spun around like a whirlwind. In flashes of agony, she could see her brother being taken away to an orphanage while she had been sent to London to a boarding school to be closer to her fiancee. Suddenly as if shaken, she awoke suddenly and looked around to find herself once again in the desert city and Jonathan standing behind her.  
  
"Angela?....Angela, darling, are you okay?" he was asking as he tapped her shoulder nervously.  
  
She quickly turned to face him and nodded "I'm, uh, okay, I was just daydreaming that's all" she looked away as she tried to conceal her tears "I tend to that a lot".  
  
"Yes, but for three hours now, Angie? It's a bit much don't you think"  
  
The name suddenly echoed in her head painfully as she shook it away and looked back at him and smiled weakly "I'm sorry, I'll try not to do it too often"  
  
"Okay, very well" he had chuckled "I forgive you" With that he kissed her softly, placing his hands on her waist as she gasped and then relaxed letting herself delve into the kiss more.  
  
"I love you Jonathan" she said breathlessly "You know that"  
  
"I love you too"  
  
"Um, by any chance have you seen the Book of Amun Ra?"  
  
Jonathan jumped back, startled suddenly by the question "Why do you want to know?"  
  
"No reason in particular, being jhere in Hamunaptra seems to bring out the curiosity in me, I just want to know everything about it"  
  
"Angela, darling, sometime it's best to leave things to be unknown and untouched... for the better of all of us...for the better of the world itself".  
  
"So I guess I shouldn't be curious then?" she asked innocently.  
  
Jonathan sighed "I dropped it into the bog, down there, that's all I really know so far about it's location, but I didn't even realize what part of the bog I dropped it in"  
  
"Just forget I asked" she sighed, before she suddenly stumbled.  
  
Jonathan quickly caught her and looked at her, realizing she was becoming pale and she was taking deep breaths of air as she began to hyperventilate. "Angela? Angela, what's wrong?" he asked frantically.  
  
"Suddenly I'm not feeling well" she gasped weakly "I think it's the heat and--" she couldn't finish her last word before she suddenly collapsed in his arms.  
  
In shock, he picked her up and carried her to her tent where he then gently laid her down as she made no attempt to wake up from her peaceful state. Caressing her features softly Jonathan then sat across from her, thinking "I'm just going to let her rest for a few hours" he then looked out at the desert from opening in the tent "Hopefully this was just due to the sun and not another one of Imhotep's spells"  
  
Angela's eyes were tightly closed as she slept but her mind was was swirling around as she lay unconscious. Within this surreal world of her dreams, she could still see her world of the past as it flashed in front of her eyes, the dark mists of her fantasies and nightmares showing her the painful memories of her childhood up until her present state. It was all accompanied by the strange, phantasmagorical images of otherworldly things, spirits, screaming echoes, bubbling black ooze, music, voices, something about them all combined and she suddenly felt like she was floating on air, swirling along the mists the farther regions of her mind. A mind that seemed to burn like an ember, glowing faintly with the occasional outbursts of flames once it was stirred.  
  
"No, I am not yours!" she screamed in her head as two images suddenly appeared before her, Lewis and Imhotep "I will never be yours, leave me be! You are not my owners, stop impeding me from being happy, why do you these things?! why? no! let me go! let me go!".  
  
Jonathan looked down at her in horror as she frantically writhed and screamed. Finding no other option to stop her from hurting herself, he quickly pinned her arms above her head with one hand while he held her down with the other and pinned her body beneath his own. Hearing the screames, Rick suddenly came running into the tent and looked down to find Jonathan almost pinning down his sister's unrestraining form as she screamed frantically "Let go of me! let go!"  
  
"Jonathan what the hell are you doing?!" Rick shouted angrily as he reached forward and pulled Jonathan to his feet. "I always knew you were a no good son of a bitch, but I never once thought you'd be capable of trying something like this!"  
  
"O'Connell! please you don't understand! I wasn't trying to the moves on her or anything beyond that, if that's what you're thinking! Angela was having a nightmare and I was trying to wake her up, it didn't work and so I tried to prevent her from hurting herself....look at her!" he shouted frantically,as he pointed down at Angela who was just opening her eyes and dazedly looking up at them.  
  
"What's, what's going on? what happened? and Rick why are you holding a gun to his head!" Angela suddenly bolted from where she sat and she scrambled up quickly to pull him away from Jonathan. "Put the gun down, Rick, please!".  
  
"But he was trying to, and I saw you screaming, and --" Rick was shocked beyond words that she would defend him after what he had seen.  
  
"Rick, for the love of god! Jonathan would never even think of doing a thing like that! I was having a nightmare amd I couldn't wake up from it, he was doing me a favor if he was trying to wake me from it!"  
  
"But I saw him! how can you defend him even now!"  
  
"Ugh! You just never give up, Richard, do you?"  
  
"What do you mean, never give up?!"  
  
"Forget it, I'm just dazed...I don't know what I'm saying"  
  
"Jonathan, get out" Rick said sternly as he kneeled down beside Angela, he looked up then and glared coldly "And don't come back in here...just go take care of Kaila"  
  
"But Rick, he wasn't doing any--" Angela tried to say suddenly.  
  
"Jonathan, get out now before I change my mind and decide to shoot your brains out"  
  
Jonathan looked down at Angela desperately and pleaded to her with his shocked green eyes as she pleaded back with her own amber. Neither dared to speak but both knew what the other was saying deep down inside. As Rick then held onto Angela, he could notice Jonathan's hesitation and he glared daggers.  
  
"What are you waiting for?!" Rick demanded "Get the hell out of here!"  
  
"Right, well, I'll be outside if you need anything" Jonathan stammered nervously.  
  
But even then he couldn't help but look back at Angela who even then was looking at him in desperation, once more the realization of what Rick was capable of doing dawned upon them. Feeling a tenseness, they suddenly glanced over at Rick as if seeing for the first time, his angry face and fists clenched with the severity of a sledgehammer.  
  
"I'm going then" Jonathan squeaked, before slipping out of the tent  
  
Angela sighed and rested her head on Rick's shoulder as he sat down by her. It pained them both as they sat in the still silence of the tent, somehow each knew that the other had nothing more to say. Silence was then, always the best option, as it helped to relieve the stress and brought the family closer together. It all gave the mind some time to think things through and give the right choice of words a chance to come into clarity before the mouth even ordained to lecture, to lecture another about life and pain, it was often a great feeling and a often even then, a great disadvantage.  
  
"Angela, are you all right" Rick suddenly asked softly, breaking the silence.  
  
"I'm fine Rick, nothing happened....so there really is nothing to be hurt or worried about" Angela replied as she then sat up.  
  
"I guess....I uh....overreacted a little"  
  
"A little? you call putting a gun to someones head a little overreaction! try a hell of a lot of overreaction....hell I don't even want to know what you're like when you're extremely angry" she spoke incredulously "What are you going to do? shoot'em point blank before they have time to explain what's happening!"  
  
"Maybe"  
  
Angela jumped slightly at that comment "Well, then, I'll make sure to get out of town if I give you any reasons to be furious at me"  
  
"I doubt you ever will....it's not like you're going to tell me that you lied about not loving Jonathan and that you plan on getting married to him or that you gave Imhotep the Book of the Dead.....because on all accounts you didn't have it to begin with"  
  
Angela laughed uneasily as she looked away in horror at the sand that barely revealed itself under the tent and the blankets. Her giggles were becoming more hysterical as she started to hyperventilate again to the point where she felt she would suffocate. As his words echoed in her mind, it all seemed to spin around another series of memories: Jonathan proposing,their first kiss, everything was showing before her as she realized just how Rick had guessed the truth in a joke. She felt herself blacking out suddenly and before she knew it her mind went blank.  
  
"Oh my god, Angela.....are you okay?" Angela what's wrong? calm down try to breathe" Rick said frantically as he held her close to his chest, rocking her back and forth as she slowly relaxed and fell asleep again.  
  
Rick glanced down at her and sighed, the rowboat, that Indian Summer, he had remembered that autumn afternoon as he had held her form tightly. 14 and 5, such an age difference yet they were so close to one another. And even now 29 and 21 seemed the same as that far gone afternoon, except there wasn't any rowboat or any shouts, only the previous that had led up to that moment. The soft whisper of the sand and the wind flapping the tent were the only sounds in that still silent and frozen moment.  
  
"God, I feel so alone" he said softly, as he caressed her head lightly "We've always been so alone and now that we're together finally, we seem to be drifting apart slowly" he looked out at the desert through the opening of the flap and watched the wind kick up some sand into some eerily familiar dervishes. Protectively, he looked down and held Angela tighter "Egypt is destroying us both, it's destroying everyone...if we make it out alive, we are never coming back to this goddamn country" Her non responsive form only made him feel so much more lonely "Angela, if only you trusted in me more, you use to tell me all your little secrets and now you just seem to be terrified of telling me what happened to you the day you read the Book of the Dead and even about your past....I hardly know you anymore and it scares me"  
  
"Rick, I've never heard you speak like that before" a voice suddenly said softly.  
  
Rick suddenly looked up to find Evelyn peering into the tent.  
  
"Well Evie, now you finally heard" Rick said dazedly.  
  
"And I can't believe it, you, Rick O'Connell, the man who shoots first without asking any questions, the man who is so brave and courageous against any odds, feels alone? Rick do you know how happy this makes me! I always thought you were to much of a man to admit your emotions and now I see that you are not such a brute after all"  
  
"Thanks...I guess"  
  
"You and Angela look so adorable together, look at her, asleep....peacefully resting against you...in your arms"  
  
"Ya, when we were younger she would always follow me almost everywhere I'd go, we were both the best of friends, there wasn't anywhere that you wouldn't see us together, playing games, singing songs, arguing, dancing, everyone who knew our family back in Chicago thought we were the cutest thing since the teddy bear" Rick then sighed suddenly "And now look at us, drifting, fighting, disagreeing on everything...time has totally changed us both, I often wonder what would have happened if both of us had gone to the same orphanage in Cairo after our uncle and aunt passed away" he looked down at her "but what am I saying, she was sent to a boarding school in London to be closer to her fiancee while I was sent to Egypt to live alone in an orphanage until I was 18...our past has been so--"  
  
"Unfair, and you hate it, Rick"  
  
"It's not so much that I hate it, it's more or less the feelings and the questions that have been left unanswered by our family and by the separation of two continents, not mention the years, the time spent separated for so long, it hurts that we...the last two remaining members of our family....aren't even getting along like we should be".  
  
"Perhaps you should let Angela live her own life, make her own decisions, solve her own problems, depending on what they are, and most importantly you have to let her love who she wants to.... you cannot force her into being separated from people" Evelyn took a seat beside him and put her hand on his cheek as he turned to look at Angela then back at her. "You are causing her to feel what she felt the day you two were separated....you're hurting her, more than she can bear".  
  
For a moment Rick looked at her thoughtfully and then looked back down at his sister, who softly breathed as she slept. At 21 she still looked like a little girl at certain angles and he always enjoyed seeing her asleep or even laughing.  
  
"You are being too overprotective of her" Evelyn said suddenly "You can't guard her all her life"  
  
"I don't want her to get hurt, I'm trying so hard to be the father we never had after our mom left".  
  
"Being overprotective and demanding isn't being a good father...or a good brother for that matter. She knows you love her and she loves you as well, but you can't live her life for her"  
  
"I know....I know, as soon as we get out of this mess I'm letting her go her own way, far from Jonathan"  
  
"Oh for the love of god! I completely give up, you just won't change one bit"  
  
"Gee Evelyn, you just noticed" a voice suddenly said in a cold, sleepy tone  
  
Both suddenly looked around the tent and then down at Angela whose eyes were wide open and frigid.  
  
"Angela! oh dear...my lord ,uh....weren't you asleep just now?" Evelyn said uneasily.  
  
Rick's face had grown pale as he looked down at her "How much did you hear?" Along the list of the most apparently clueless questions, this had to be in the top 3 worst ones ever.  
  
"All of it" Angela replied as she sat up quickly "And quite frankly I agree with you Evelyn, all the way" she suddenly looked back at Rick and he couldn't believe the tearful, icy glare she was giving him "You are destroying me, Rick, you are being way too overprotective! I'm twenty one years old! I'm not a child anymore!".  
  
"Don't you give me that attitude, Angela" Rick suddenly reacted to her fury with his own.  
  
"But--"  
  
"As long as we're here in Egypt....you're going to obey my rules!"  
  
"But if you would just listen me, Rick!"  
  
"I'm not done talking! and get this straight now Angela, I'm nevet letting you out of  
  
my sight...is that clear!"  
  
"Look at yourself Rick, look deep inside, you're trying to decide my own future! I'm not a prize Rick! I'm not an object that's going to be auctioned off only when you decide it's fit! You are not going to decide who is worthy of my love or not, you are not our father Rick! so stop acting like you are!" Angela shrieked in tearful anger.  
  
In a sudden rush, she ran out of the tent taking a silent Evelyn and a frustrated Rick by surprise, she had left in such a fury of curses that even then in the distance they would hear her sobs of agony.  
  
"Goddamnit!" Rick shouted as he looked away in disbelief.  
  
Evelyn mumbled and shook her head slowly as she looked outside of the tent towards the desert, she held the tent flap open and stared out in silent resignation. She could see Angela standing tall as she too looked out at the Sahara, letting the wind dry her tears. It seemed to be that she was the fitting figure of a queen reigning over her own realm of death and peace... ironically as that sounds. But paradoxes are all but common in the Sahara and death with peace was no exception. Angela was indeed the queen of her realm and it all but seemed that Rick was like the reigning tyrant that would just not let her rule and force her to bow to his orders. Now a war was imminent but who was going to win in the end? all's fair in love and...war.  
  
"I can't believe this, I have to deal with him, why did you give me a brother,god? why?"  
  
Angela sighed and walked out of the city then and looked on at the vast desert that stretched out before her. She felt like the only person on the face of the planet and it somewhat relieved her senses, though she hardly felt relieved at the remembrance of her brother and Imhotep....they both wanted to kill Jonathan and possibly even herself. It surprised her somewhat that even the two enemies had something in common and in light of all of this, it pained her so much more.  
  
"Well, now, I'm sure with my luck, they'll both join forces and then surely kill Jonathan and I" she snickered coldly at the thought and then spoke aloud, only loud enough that it was a whisper "And then they'll start to tear each other apart... how typical of men".  
  
"Angela?" a voice broke her from her revery.  
  
She quickly turned around to find Jonathan somewhat disheveled and confused a few feet away from her.  
  
Hello Jonathan, how are you feeling?" she asked softly.  
  
"Pretty well actually, is it all right if we talk? or is Rick going to suddenly come out of nowhere and beat me to a pulp?"  
  
Angela smiled weakly "Let's talk, after all, I am your fiancee...we need to think of a way to get ourselves out here... because something tells me that if we don't we both are in for some serious trouble".  
  
"I'm all ears" Jonathan replied as he walked closer to her.  
  
"That's just the problem, I need help....I have no idea what to do...and at the moment I can't seem to come up with any solution to anything"  
  
"O'Connell, would know the way, no, wait, he'd just make it a tad bit worse, shooting first is always his perogative"  
  
"Speaking of which, we're both in seriously deep water with Rick, Imhotep and Lewis....they all want you or me or possibly even both of us dead and six feet underground, and then again Rick would probably most likely dig our bodies up and burn them 'til there's nothing left of them".  
  
"And Imhotep would just gut us and cusre our souls to the darker depths of the underworld or better yet he'd rearrange our anatomy then curse our souls, there is just really nothing much to think about Lewis...other than the fact that he'll shoot me at seventy, eighty, or heck maybe even ninety until all that's left of me is a hunk of human swiss cheese"  
  
They both gave each other worried, frightened glances and gulped simoultaneously. Stuck between the sword and the wall, not a great thought when in fact you have three swords pointed straight at you and you have no where to run other than into  
  
one of those swords to your death.  
  
"God, I hate it when fate does this!" Angela hissed anxiously.  
  
"Calm down, Angie, I know how you feel, believe me I've been through this type of situation many times except it really never had to do anything with magic....it was always, well, um, bar brawls, well I was always the one getting pummeled so I guess I'm now just preparing for the worst of the moment"  
  
Angela stared at him for a moment and sighed in resignation "Preparing for the worst is something I'm use to as well....funny really, how I never look for trouble, trouble just always is the one looking for me even in the case of Lewis and all the rest" she felt her body weakening and she fought to stay strong "Quite frankly I really have to calm down and stop being so hopeful and curious of things"  
  
"I like you being curious and having hope, it's a part of you, your personality and...your beauty".  
  
"Thank you" Angela replied shyly as she blushed.  
  
"So what are we going to do when we go down into the tomb? I mean, we can't be there long unless you consider giving ourselves to the scarabs as a midnight snack".  
  
Angela chuckled "No, first of all, the only thing I plan to do is see the underground and that's it, maybe get some imprints but that's it really, then we'll never have to go back down there ever again"  
  
"What time then?"  
  
"Around ten, when Rick and Evelyn are asleep"  
  
"and how do you plan on staying down there?"  
  
"About two or three hours, four hours max"  
  
"But Angela, we're going to get ourselves killed. Imhotep never sleeps....in fact maybe all he does is the Egyptian equivalent of sleepwalking around the city...onlyhe'll be awake and when he finds us well, um, then we'll be turned into husks or be eaten"  
  
"I promise we won't get eaten, Jonathan"  
  
"Or caught?"  
  
"Definitely not get caught"  
  
Getting caught...the sheer thought was enough to get your stomach cringed up and your head buzzing with thoughts of escape and inevitable retribution. Depending on what do, the thoughts are always very different...your actions count a lot when you get caught in the act, but when it come to getting caught in Egypt, In the Sahara...in the middle of nowhere. Just pray to allah that you NEVER do get caught, the punishments are all on a scale like those of Ma'at herself, the scales of fate and destiny, the scales of life and death...all only ranging from nine to ten, nothing more, nothing less. Nine being torture, Ten being death. Which in the end would one prefer to choose? often time one doesn't have that choice and often times one doesn't even know that the path they have chosen, is the path to the final judgement hall of ma'at. 


	7. Abysmal Darkness, Blinding Truths

Title: Imhotep's Obsession (Chapter 19) Author: Darlene Evelyn Rated: PG-13 to R Feedback: Please let me know what you think but please don't be rude. Copyright: All Characters except for my own are sole property of Universal Pictures. No profit is being made with this story.  
  
Chapter 19... Imhotep's Obsession *~~Hamunaptra~~* Ta-Meri slowly walked down the passgeways of the underground, torch in hand. Some were narrow and low ceilinged and even as new as they were, they were infested with spiderwebs. Crouching as she climbed ger way through, Ta- Meri headed towards the statue of Isis, until suddenly a chittering sound rumbled throughout the walls causing her to suddenly freeze in midstep.  
  
"By the gods that sounded like...scarabs!" she thought frantically.  
  
Running into a cavern to side of her, she struggled and finally managed to get the thick bronze door to close. Emerging cautiously, she looked around and realized she had made it to the exact place of her goals.  
  
"Isis, watch over me, watch over us all here in Hamunaptra, most importantly watch over Angela and Jonathan. Their love must flourish and Lord Imhotep must resign himself to fate's decision....please goddess of rebirth, cross her name from your scrolls....I beg you please" she spoke softly to herself.  
  
The chamber where she stood was silent in response to her prayer, but it seemed still to be pretty comfortable but then again this was in the City of the Dead and comfortable was hardly a good thing. It always meant that something bad was going to occur with a sudden, abrupt entrance.  
  
"Isis, keep Lord Imhotep away from Angela, he will only cause her harm and pain....give her the strength to face him if they should ever encounter each other once more".  
  
Isis could have heard her entreaty...if Imhotep had not bound the City of the Dead. He had bound it so that no magic could be commanded throughout the ruins unless it was his own. The high priest knew full well what the mortals could do to him and he wanted to beat them to the catch or beat them to the spells if that's what you could call it.  
  
Since his arrival to Hamunaptra he had not quite been in the best of moods, judging by the indisputable facts that A) his good for nothing assistant had not yet brought the elixir of remembrance. B) he didn't have a sacrifice for the incantation of rebirth and C) his future mistress had escaped somehow into the depths of the city, oh yes, it just couldn't get any worse than this.  
  
"Where is that pathetic ingrate?!" Imhotep shouted to himself.  
  
"Who, Lord Imhotep?" Jantra asked curiously.  
  
Imhotep glared back at the slave girl who though quite stunningly beautiful with long raven, black hair, a voluptuous body and full pouting lips just did not seem to register to his primal love instincts as much as Isiria had.  
  
"Where is Ta-Meri?" he suddenly asked Jantra, trying to shove his frustration to the back of his mind. "And who else would I be speaking about?! that good for nothing ingrate, Beni".  
  
"I do not know" Jantra said with a shrug, apparently showing him that his attitude did not hurt her in the least, instead she smirked and said stabbed at his jealously with her final words "Ta-Meri ran out of the chamber and I have not seen her since then....after all I do not think she would have wanted to be here after assisting in the girl's escape".  
  
Imhotep looked at her for a moment, his eyes ablaze "If Ta-Meri assisted the girl in escaping...she will regret ever being born into this world....how could I have been such a fool! She would gladly aide her friend, no matter in what form she were, over everything else".  
  
Jantra smiled wickedly "My lord...if I may ask...why are you so infatuated by Isiria, she is so plain, so utterly ordinary" taking a daring step towards him, she spoke seductively "I have always wanted you and yet, you have always wanted her....you could have had any woman in Thebes and yet Isiria was your choice" letting her jealously overflow suddenly, her venom seeped through "What is so special about the temple dancer? she always rejected your advances, when I would have gladly accepted them and cherished them more than anything in this world".  
  
Suddenly Imhotep laughed arrogantly, taking her off guard. "I love Isiria, for one she is unlike any other woman I have ever know, she is pure, kind, and she cares for nothing more than the well being of others. Love to her is a sacred emotion that she took quite seriously. She would never accept my advances because she could see them as being wrong actions on my part....under all of that though she loved me as much as I loved and still love her....you, Jantra, will never be like her....no one will, except....Angela".  
  
"The other woman?" Jantra hissed jealously.  
  
"Yes, the other woman, she is my equal and we will be together....and you and Ta-Meri will be gone...I will make it so".  
  
"Why do you say that, Lord Imhotep?"  
  
"You were never one of my favorites, Jantra....your cold and uncaring heart do not belong with us".  
  
"But I could help you get the girl back"  
  
"If you can get her back I may just spare you, but don't try anything to put her in any danger...is that perfectly clear?".  
  
"Yes, my lord, I understand, but the girl obviously does not want to be with you and Ta-Meri gladly helped her escape after you left with Beni and sent him to bring you back the elixir down in the deeper corridors....which only leaves one thing to be said"  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
She smiled seductively and caressed his broad, muscular chest before softly kissing him. "That only leaves us alone, here, you and I".  
  
Imhotep sneered and looked at her indignantly "Keep away from me, Jantra, you already know full well that I do not love you and I never will, can you not understand that? Never kiss me again or I will forget that you are a woman" Abruptly he shoved her away and walked swiftly out of the chamber.  
  
After what seemed eternities from when he had rejected her, Jantra screamed in anger and looked venomously at the sacrificial altar. "If I have to drag that wench down here, I will do so and she will rue the day Isiria possessed her body. I will tear her limb from limb until there is nothing left for Imhotep to cherish....in the end he will have to love me and forget about that miserable wench." she smirked and looked around her at the chamber indiganantly "Then the world, will be our realm and our realm alone....the mortals will all bow down to me as their queen" Glancing around curiously for a moment, she then smiled wickedly "Now....where is Ta- Meri?"  
  
**Outside in the secretive sands of Hamunaptra's cover, the desert had somewhat shifted it's own scene, swirling softly as the silent breeze moved over the environment. All that the surrounding's needed was a mystical, hypnotic siren and a lone oud playing in the distant background. Something akin to "The Mystic's Dream" by Loreena McKennitt.  
  
"Remember that one day on the boat when you came and found me with Angela?" Rick's voice suddenly broke the stillness.  
  
"Yes Rick, I remember....why?" Evelyn replied curiously "What happened?"  
  
"The night before that, Angela had been chanting an incantation from the Book of the Dead" he paused, afraid to continue and then decided otherwise "When Jonathan and I told her about it, she screamed at both of us to get out...it was definitely something to do with the past in my opinion".  
  
"Is that your scholarly opinion, Rick?"  
  
"Yes, it is, even though it's hard to believe, but it is and I don't think it could be any more obvious about what is going on in her head and who she was talking about"  
  
"Rick, we shouldn't jump to any sort of conclusions, after all she has been under so much pressure lately that I wouldn't be at all surprised if she started singing the hymns of Orthodox church in her sleep.....do not be so conclusive"  
  
"Who said I was jumping to any conclusions?"  
  
"You are" Evelyn answered, slightly annoyed. After a moment of tense silence between them, she sighed "You're afraid" she then looked at Rick who looking into his eyes caused him to look away suddenly before he slowly looked back up at her "You're afraid for Angela"  
  
Sighing, he stood and paced around the tent "Look Evelyn, it has crossed my mind for the past weeks, I just can't deny that and as each day passes this problem just gets worse. I knew somehow, deep inside of me that one day we were going to come back to Egypt...but I never wanted or even expected Angela to get involved in this!".  
  
"What are you trying to say, Rick?" Evelyn faced him as he hesistated to answer, biting his lip and gently shaking his head.  
  
"We ruined Imhotep's plans, and now he's bent on revenge. If he's smart, which by now we know that he his....then he knows our weaknesses and that the greatest thing to complete his revenge against me and even Jonathan...is to do something to Angela. To take the person we love away from us forever just like we did with what ever her name was" He looked at her with hurt eyes "That is the way, it's revenge on both of us, not just one person. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her".  
  
Evelyn felt tears coming out of her eyes, she had never expected Rick to speak so solemnly eloquent and so stoicly. She couldn't even believe that he had take the time to think about it.  
  
Rick however was now on the verge of collasping. "That is why I'm so scared to be back here now, to tell you the truth, this is the second time I've felt this scared in my life....first was the thought of losing you to Imhotep and now....it's the same thing only it's Angela who is in his mind" he paused to sort his thoughts out "Doesn't it worry you at all of what Jonathan may be capable of doing to himself if something happens to her? she's been his best friend.....why do you think I'm so overprotective of Angela? I would die if I lost her, she is my only relative" he choked on his words "my, my baby sister that I've loved like no other brother could...I don't want her getting killed because of our first mistake"  
  
Evelyn smiled slightly as she withheld her tears, this was all too amazing to hear him speaking like that. It had been one of the most solemn things he had ever said. Dropping her head to look down, she looked away almost afraid of him seeing her own emotions flooding out in tears and the warm smile on her face.  
  
"So what do you plan to do?" she suddenly asked as she looked up at him once more.  
  
"Take certain precautions and keep Angela well away from the entrance to the underground chamber"  
  
"Hello you two....what are you talking about?" Jonathan's voice suddenly cut into their conversation, causing them to jump slightly at the momentary seriousness.  
  
Rick and Evelyn swiftly turned around, startled, as they starred at him in shock, finding him peeking into the tent.  
  
"Nothing important" Rick replied.  
  
Jonathan sighed and then came waltzing into tent and took a seat on the blankets that had been spread on the floor. "Are you sure you weren't talking about anything important?" he then asked inquisitively.  
  
Rick stared at him for a moment, a bit shaken and suddenly asked "Where's Angela?"  
  
"Now honestly Rick, you can't watch her every where she goes to" Evelyn protested.  
  
Rick swiftly turned back to face her. "Listen Evelyn, if we don't watch Angela's every move something will be bound to happen to her and eventually to us!" he shot back defensively.  
  
"Am I missing something?" Jonathan asked, suddenly a bit confsued at the defensive arguement unfolding before him.  
  
Evelyn sighed heavily in response and sat herself beside him "Rick believes that all of us need to take precautions when it comes to Angela's whereabouts and her safety as well as dealing with the certain event of Imhotep showing up and taking us all by surprise".  
  
"Oh....yes, well that is a bloody good idea, I say!" Jonathan nodded repeatedly and smiled confidently "Well, I better leave then and get a bit of sleep as well.....oh! speaking of which, Angela is in my tent with Kaila, if you wanted to know that is....now if you'll excuse me I really have to get going" standing up quicker than he had sat down, he swiftly moved towards the tent entrance.  
  
"Wait a second!" Rick suddenly stepped in his way. "Let me get this straight...she's in your tent! she's in...your...tent" he realized that Jonathan had been completely trying to avoid the matter altogether.  
  
"Um, yes, she's in my tent" Jonathan replied nervously, as he swiftly slipped passed Rick and out of the tent in a hurry. After a moment however, he poked his head back inside and sighed resignedly "Don't worry, O'Connell, if it makes you feel any better I won't be going any where near the tent, in fact I'll be staying outside, I promise I won't be in there".  
  
"You better not"  
  
*~~The Sahara~~* The heated, tan world of the Sahara had turned cool and an enigmatic ivory blue underneath the blanket of stars hovering above, shrouding the world beneath it. Beni led the way as his caravan followed closely behind. Thanks to the powers of being of the undead, the trip had gone a lot quicker than expected. He reigned his camel to a stop and the expedition drew closer behind him like a calvary waiting to be given the orders to attack the enemy up ahead.  
  
Victor had been, for the most part, complaining the entire ride and finally asked "Hey David we're still on for the wager right?"  
  
"Of course we do" David replied as he stared out into vastness of the desert and the horizon far ahead.  
  
"What the hell are we doing?" Lewis suddenly asked frustratingly.  
  
"Patience, Lewis, Patience" Beni sneered.  
  
"Patience is something I have little of desert guide, so where the hell are we?"  
  
Beni grinned "About six miles away from Hamunaptra to be exact".  
  
*~~Hamunaptra~~* Angela awoke just before Eleven and after shaking herself from pointless debating, she aroused Jonathan who complained about the necessity of sleep and the disadvantages of not having enough. Finally after much persuading, however, he reluctantly crawled out of the tent.  
  
"The moon is at it's peak...we should get going" Angela said with a bright smile that was wasted on the tired being in front of her.  
  
"So where to?" Jonathan asked, as he packed up a few things and mounted his horse.  
  
"The entrance near the statue of Anubis" Angela replied matter-of-factly as she mounted her own steed "and from there to the underground".  
  
Excitement began to pump through her veins as she juggled the equipment she held and rode unsteadily forward into the dark, dimly lit city.  
  
After a moment of riding in silence, the stillness was torn apart. "There" Angela pointed towards the statue as she dismounted from her horse, watching as Jonathan did the same.  
  
"So then that must be where the entrance to the underground corridors is" Jonathan gulped.  
  
"Yes, and here" she ran to the statue "is the button and the lever that should activate like a switch to open the entrance. I think it have been set up to look like a keyhole of some sort, but in reality all it needed was a good push" she explained as they moved closer to the entry way.  
  
"It's open" Jonathan said in dismay "Oh wellm the sooner we get in there, the sooner we can leave".  
  
Lighting their torches, they entered the darkness of the silent city where a pindrop would be enough to send them into cardiac arrest. The silence strangely enough hurt their ears, it was getting to the point that it was annoying to be so heavily quiet and yet any sort of noise would be the cause of further chaos no matter how low it was.  
  
The floor beneath their feet was leveled sand that occasionally rippled across in sand dunes of miniature goldenrod waves. Where the only surfers were often the incredibly deadly scarabs beetles. They continued to cautiously walk down the close confines of the labyrinth like hallways that suddenly opened up into an immense antechamber.  
  
"Oh my god" Angela suddenly gasped.  
  
"What?!" Jonathan hissed as he jumped slightly in alarm.  
  
"Look at all of the hieroglyphs! These are all depicting how they raise the city and all the ceremonies that they celebrated, my god, Jonathan I just want to get a few copies of these...they're beautiful!"  
  
"Indeed, look at the detail in them, they depict everything!" he replied giddily.  
  
Hurriedly, Angela pulled out a folded leather case of digging, archaelogical tools from under her arm and removed a soft bristled brush. As she did, the air grew tense with excitement as she gently brushed it against the surface, letting fall the dust and sand of thousands of years. Jonathan gently pulled her back where she let out the breath she hardly noticed that she had been holding all that time.  
  
"Go back to the horses while I dust off more of this. In Evelyn's saddlebag you'll find some paper and charcoal. I can get a few rubbings if we're careful"  
  
"Alright, I'll be right back then" Jonathan replied softly "and be careful"  
  
Angela paused at the warning "No wait...I'm coming with you".  
  
Jonathan smiled and took her hand into his and they walked into the nearest tunnel. His torch showing the way. They were soon in the embalming chamber, where they climbed up a few crumbling stairs and stumbled out into the dim moonlight, sucking in the cold, fresh night air.  
  
"Come on we need to hurry up before dawn, maybe Rick and Evelyn might decide to check on us...so let's hurry and get the rubbings" Angela said urgently, as she looked around.  
  
They remained quiet for a moment as the wind rustled through the city and then glanced at one another, shaking their heads, amused a bit by their own mutual uneasiness over something so trivial. But the full extent of this triviality came in the form of a distant rumbling, distant that only Angela managed to hear it and caused her to raise a hand in a gesture of silence.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jonathan whispered, as he watched her with alert interest.  
  
Angela knelt down and placed her ear to the sand, listening, concentrating her sense to the solid goal of finding out that answer."Something is coming, it's heading this way....it's big from the sound of it, and it's coming fast". she replied softly, feeling her heart beating rapidly.  
  
"And it's a really big cloud" Jonathan said uneasily, as he looked out into the desert.  
  
As he helped her up, they squinted at the large dustcloud which was slowly, but smoothly coming over the dunes like a large wave surging towards France's Mont.St. Michel at high tide, ready to cover everything in it's deadly path.  
  
"Oh god" Jonathan gasped, insulting and mixing the name with association to the all powerful being. This one was anything but messianic....Lewis.  
  
He was riding faster than the very horses of the Apocalypse, followed by Victor, Vinnie, and David who were bringing up the rear. The four riders of the apocalypse: death, plague, famine, and beast. The ultimate quartet of evil, that spared nothing and no one. They spelled doom to whomever happened to be in their way, in this case: the world. But these human associates were as deeply prophetic and spelled out their goals as clear as a sharp diamond blade: glory, lust, death, and destruction. In the Sahara, these are hardly things that ever arrive, but in the middle of the desert where diversion is so very uncommon, human suffering is just a colloseum and betting booth away from being an actual, gladiator sport.  
  
"He's not suppose to be here! How the bloody hell did he find Hamunaptra?" Jonathan turned with fear spelled upon every part of his face, to see Angela gravely silent.  
  
Finding no comfort in her extrinsic expression, stern and quite tense as a leopard with eyes full of foreign blazes. "Angela?.....darling?"  
  
The sound of his voice broke the silence, she turned quickly and kissed him and without word, she hastily mounted her horse and using the heel of her boots, some very unmentionable words and a glare mean enough to scare even the most bravest of beasts, she urged the unwilling animal to get ready to fly.  
  
"Jonathan get on your horse and go warn my brother and Evelyn...hurry! go!"  
  
Jonathan nodded and mounted his horse before he suddenly realized "Wait one moment, Angela. Where the bloody hell are you going?".  
  
"To get the books and the rest of the artifacts...I'm not ketting those bastards get one measly finger on them!"  
  
Without another thought, she kicked the horse and raced into the city towards the entrance to the underground once again. Jonathan shouting desperately to her as she did.  
  
"Wait! no! Angela, you can't be serious! those things are too dangerous! get back here!"  
  
Looking back, she smiled but didn't slow the pace of the horse as she continued on and she shouted the phrase that made Jonathan want to die. "For crying out loud Jonathan, what's the worse that can happen?".  
  
With that left hanging in the air, her horse disappeared into the dark, eerie shadows of the pillars and temples of the city.  
  
Jonathan couldn't believe the remarkable sight and his own voice seemed to refuse to return as he nudged his horse and sent it galloping out to the tents. All decision making chemicals were surging to an all time low as he felt himself go faster, not only that, but he stood on a balance of uneven proportions, he couldn't let Angela go alone, but she'd be killed. And as for Evelyn and Rick, they would be in danger as well. They had no idea of how far Lewis was capable of going to keep Angela, he was so mentally unbalanced that anything could trigger a chaotic meltdown in his mind, with disastrous consequences as the result.  
  
"I have to get Evie and Rick....I have to" he thought anxiously "Calm down you bloody animal, come on!"  
  
As his horse galloped onward, he realized he felt empty without Angela by his side, he needed her for guidance and her strength, but most of all he needed to tell Rick everything, he'd know exactly what to do. There was no doubt whatsoever that shooting him point blank would be the first thing on his to do list, but that didn't matter at the moment. Nothing mattered at the moment...nothing except staying alive for enough time to help out. In the desert help is just a gun, strength, and good aim. Unfortunately being out numbered wasn't and things weren't looking at all good for the former Three Musketeers of Hamunaptra, help was far from being good.  
  
**As Angela walked into the dark corridors, and into a tunnel, one of a labyrinth of such passageways, was narrow, low ceilinged and infested with cobwebs. Crouching, she clawed her way thru, until a chittering sound caused her to freeze, unfortunately not being in a tranquil state of mind, she nervously lowered her torch to the floor and glanced down with nervous eyes.  
  
"What the hell are-" she stopped in mid sentence and in her tracks, as she realized she was one making the noise.  
  
As the flame danced wildly with her trembling, the ground beneath her glistened into a carpet of black, obsidian like pebbles, sparkling as if an ocean with the moon shining high above it's waters, twinkling eerily in a dance of silver and azure...all pointing to one solid and horrific answer "Scarab beetles".  
  
Letting out a nerve piercing scream she realized that at least 3 minutes and a half was a record for her in that frame of art and she quickly calmed herself down, hyperventilating as she walked swiftly ahead. With much relief she came out into a large chamber, shivering as she wished deep inside that there at least be a waltz playing or a violin so that she wouldn't have to hear her own footsteps echoing around her like soft drum beats in a death march, namely her own.  
  
"Okay, be calm, don't scream, everything is okay, nothing horrible is going to happen" she repeated uneasily to herself. "Just go on and don't worry about the sounds that are coming from your feet, don't look....just keep going"  
  
Angela took another step forward and suddenly felt and much to her dismay heard a slimy, grinding noise.  
  
"Oh....god" she thought "I just stepped into something else". Her mind suddenly rephrased her in a dreadul correction "Not into something". Frowning, she lowered her torch once more "Onto something".  
  
The head of a mummy to be precise, the pulverized skull becoming a dust cloud that seemed to swirl around her feet like a spirit being released from it's confines, but unwilling to leave. She screamed again and ran without a single thought in mind of looking back, and into another room.  
  
"I really hate this" she said out loud "I really, really hate this".  
  
**Outside Jonathan jumped off his horse and ran for the tents "Evie! Rick! Lewis, Lewis is coming! get out!"  
  
Rick and Evelyn stumbled out of their tents as he ran to them.  
  
"What's going on, Jonathan?" Evelyn asked groggily.  
  
"That!" Jonathan pointed to the desert. "Lewis!!"  
  
They all turned towards the desert quickly and their eyes widened, as they perceived the growing rumble and the immense dust cloud racing towards them. They could only watch confused, helpless, and wondering...what the hell they could do....where the hell could they run to and....how the hell they would survive.  
  
And from the darkness, through the stirring sand, emerged Ardeth Bey, who stepped forward and looked out into the desert, the wind tugging at his black robes like Kaila who was suddenly seeking his attention after having had been away from her father for the entire day.  
  
"Who are they? Who are those men?" he asked sternly, taking everybody else by surprise, who completely had forgot to ask him where he had been all day.  
  
Jonathan sighed as he grimaced. "It's Lewis Calabar and his men"  
  
"Calabar" the Med Jai leader said, as if tasting the word and finding it's taste suprisingly bitter. "I know that man".  
  
Rick stepped up beside Jonathan and looked at Ardeth. "From where exactly?" he demanded.  
  
"The museum". The Med Jai leader's eyes narrowed as he looked at Rick "How do you know this man?".  
  
Jonathan started to speak, but Rick beat him to it and replied. "We're friends, very close friends you might say".  
  
Ardeth Bey sighed dramatically  
  
"Um, not to interrupt you two in such a cheery conversation, but we have an ambush on our hands!" Jonathan said frantically.  
  
"What?!!" Rick suddenly looked over at him.  
  
"Never mind" Jonathan groaned, as he watched the riders come galloping in.  
  
By the looks of the situation, some arguing was about to begin. Evelyn and Ardeth swiftly held back a red faced Rick from pulling out his gun and shooting Lewis, who had just jumped off of his horse and treated Jonathan to a calculating look which seemed to say, at least in his own mind "Look who we have here....we're right on time".  
  
"Hello Evelyn, Rick, what a pleasant surprise....now why don't we all chat for a moment and explain to one another all these events and material's that we need to know. I believe it is best that we all answer these questions truthfully" Lewis said, with a boyish smile that seemed to speak silently on it's own accord "I'm more innocent than you think, now just test me and you'll see what a true angel I can really be".  
  
**Down below in the chambers, Angela seemed to be losing her mind. Every room looked much like the other and every hallway led to at least five different directions. A part of her deeply wanted to run out and the other seemed to pull her to the deeper recesses of the city like the magnetic poles of the Earth and she the prime meridian, ready to snap in half and run to it's own side. Continuing on her desperate walk, she stumbled into an amphitheater and it seemed she had walked into a Macy's store that had announced "75% off on all dessicated arms, legs, and other body parts, sale ends in 5 minutes....first come, first serve". There was a large enough variety of body parts that one could have imagined Victor Frankenstein rummaging through, looking for the perfect body part to complete his creation. Unexpectedly, the mummy of Anck-Su-Namun seemed to stand out quite vividly, as a mutilated hand held on tightly to a dagger, her own key to immortality and power held there, that never opened the door to the world of the living.  
  
"Immortality just wasn't yours to begin with" Angela whispered sternly. "You can't always have everything you desire"  
  
Then her mother's voice suddenly echoed in her head "Whenevre you stumble upon another person's grave...and you feel chills upon your back...it means that they are still suffering the consequences of their acts that the committed in the world of the living". As if in response to the thought, she felt a cold chill and she quickly walked away from the spot where she had been standing. "Her body was no longer his temple" she thought sadly. "And my body will no longer be my own...".  
  
**Pulling Jonathan aside into the darkness of a temple, Lewis suddenly asked "So Jonathan, where's the goddess? I'm dying to see her, and judging by the fact that you two are so close to one another, I'm guessing you know where she is".  
  
Jonathan stared coldly at him for a moment and Lewis laughed. "Come on Jonathan, tell me, where is Angela?"  
  
In a motion that even he had never expected to happen, Jonathan spit into Lewis' face and glared angrily. "Go to hell".  
  
Lewis turned around and wiped his face off, shrugging it off, before turning and punching Jonathan twice, sending him toppling to the sand, where he landed with a thud and writhed in pain.  
  
"Strav, keep a close eye on him, see that he doesn't go anywhere and as for you" he suddenly addressed Victor. "Come with me, I believe his partner is already down there. I'm going to need some help in the....conversation. A person, to make sure.....we're not disturbed".  
  
Then, whistling a sing-song tune and deeply ignoring the obvious irony that there were very little men on the Earth so extremely disturbed as he was, Lewis laughed and headed for his rendevous.....a very intimate rendevous, where choices were none and suffering would be plenty.  
  
"Angela....no, he can't.....I won't let him" Jonathan struggled weakly, as he tried to drag himself across the sand only to be butted in the head by a gun, knocking him out cold.  
  
"Where's Jonathan?" Rick asked softly, as he looked around at the armed henchmen.  
  
"Lewis took him" Evelyn sobbed. "He took Jonathan".  
  
"And Angela?"  
  
"I--don't--know--maybe--she's--hiding"  
  
***Prying open the side pocket of a secret compartment beneath the staircase of the alter chamber, Angela could only hope that no acid would come out and kill her in a pressurized spray of death. She jumped back however, as slowly a heavy stone lid thunked loudly onto the floor, cracking in half in the process. A cloud of dust was then sent into the air as she coughed slightly.  
  
"Sorry" she thought, as she realized that this was considered sacred ground. "I just need to borrow something".  
  
Getting on her knees, she dragged out a small wooden chest, exquisitely engraved with hieroglyphs and hieratic in gold and silver. All in all it was like a beautifully wrapped surprise box, ready to be release what ever it held within, no matter how dark it was of an object. Nestled on one of the sides of the chest, however, was a thirteen inch dagger. Its blade and all was made of solid gold, featuring a blood groove. The handle was accented in intricate details, with engravings and symbols, including a notched papyrus leaf pattern and a scorpion resting as the pommel, two figures of the scorpion-goddess Selket, shown as a beautiful woman with a scorpion poised on her head were along the hilt with the sapphire inlay. Her creature was very well known to strike death to the wicked and cruel. She was depicted as binding up demons that would otherwise threaten Ra or the innocent, and she had sent seven of her scorpions to protect the goddess Isis from Set. The dagger and the goddess herself, were easily able to strike down all those who foolishly dared to challenge the two. It wasn't a matter of how.....but when.  
  
Angela, still kneeling, looked around sharply at the chamber watching the torches flicker and danced with the only oxygen left for herself only and picked it up. With that, she watched as the flames danced wickedly on the dark waters of the dark channels, hiding their depths and the deaths of many blasphemers who dared to anger the gods of Egypt, but whom in the end paid dearly for their insult. In Egypt where the land is lethal and unforgiving, the gods spared no one and as long as there were mortals daring to face the gods, the gods were more than willing to smite them down...no one escaped unscaved....no one escaped at all.  
  
Angela slipped the dagger into the side of her skirt, safely fastening it to her side with the hilt. Then carried the chest over to the sacrificial altar where she placed it down, it's weight finally overcoming her only strength that was left in her. "Now let's see what's inside, shall we?"she thought.  
  
Her eyes slowly scanned over the top of the chest and a deep wave of mental mist flooded over her, blinding her own thoughts as her lips moved on their own accord, she read softly. "Cometh to thee thy true soul, which among the gods must be forgiven. Pure is thy soul amongst the gods. I placeth thy soul this amongst the great and lesser gods in the form of the urai which is in--"  
  
"Angela, what the hell do you think you're doing?" a voice cut in, suddenly pulling her out of the platform of deepening concentration and swiftly pulling her down to the floor, where she fell with a hard thud behind the altar.  
  
"Ugh, what happened? what the heck am I doing?" she thought dazedly, as she struggled to pull herself up causing a wave of nausea to come on. Gathering her thoughts, she stood up tall, using her hands as a balance on the surface of the altar, and turned to look in the direction of the voice only to be pitched back into horrid shock. "Lewis".  
  
In the past four weeks, Angela had gone through so much, that she felt like a pile of autumn maple leaves swirling back and forth, rustled by the winds of Indian summer and pushed through an endless song of holy choirs and disembodied sirens from the oceans of her mind. She had been chanting along with them a song of love, hate, misunderstanding, and forgiveness. Everything within her soul was a chaotic whirlpool of nightmarish dreams and hallucinations crying out for a savior to lend her a hand. She was now so much more vulnerable, tired, and much more distraught than she had ever been and her fear of many years passed was at an all time peak. Unfortunately, Lewis was very keen about that, as being the predator who preyed on the emotionally weak, she was his perfect prey. Of course, he'd first have to catch her and with her feline grace and agility this presented one very hard catch, but a very good chase nonetheless.  
  
***Outside, the ground beneath the quartet and the little girl began to shake, while the sand in front of them slowly began to gather into a small mound...rising like a platform in front of their eyes, as if a small pyramid was materializing. But it wasn't a platform nor was it a a pyramid either. No, out of the mound, by the hundreds....scarab beetles came chittering out, boiling, bubbling from the desert floor to form a swift crawling army that swarmed towards them in an obsidian azure wave.  
  
Evelyn and Kaila screamed in horror at the sight and even Ardeth, but Rick however was actually forming the phrase "Come on! run for it!".  
  
Upon reaching Jonathan only a few yards ahead of the parade of death, Rick managed to grab a rope and throw it to Ardeth Bay who ran swiftly up ahead.  
  
"Climb that ledge! come on....faster!" Rick shouted desperately.  
  
As Ardeth quickly climbed the ledges of a wall, swift as a dark phantom, Rick grabbed Jonathan who was dragging himself along in a state of delerium and pulled him upright.  
  
"Hello O'Connell, if you're here to kill me or beat me to a pulp then I'm terribly afraid that Lewis beat you to the punch....literally...I'm terribly sorry" he said dazedly, but focusing suddenly on the incoming brigade he suddenly snapped out of it in a horrible remembrance. "Oh bloody hell, O'Connell....I know I'm a coward but I don't think I deserve to be the scarab's next entree!"  
  
"Jonathan, shut up and run" O'Connell replied sternly, as he drapped Jonathan's arm over his neck and ran, stumbling until they had made it to the Med Jai warrior.  
  
"O'Connell, I need to tell you--"  
  
"It can wait"  
  
"No, but I--"  
  
Evelyn watched in horror as they ran towards her, the scarabs right at their heels and screamed anxiously. "Hurry you two! come on now....they're catching up!".  
  
Rick gathered all his strength and quickly looked up towards Ardeth and the others, hoping deep within that the warrior had a keen sense of target and aim. "Ardeth, throw us the rope and pull....come on, pull us up!"  
  
Ardeth nodded and threw down the rope and as Rick grabbed on, he pulled it up with Evelyn's help, sending Rick and Jonathan up into the air just a couple inches off of the sandy terrain and a bit above the little insects of fatality.  
  
"Come on just a little more!" Rick called as he held onto Jonathan and looked back at the chittering creatures that had turned the floor into a carpet of black glass.  
  
Ardeth struggled and with more helpf rom Evie, gave it one hard pull causing them to swing in an arc in mid air, about four feet off the ground. Carefully and quite fearfully, Rick absorbed the impact with his leather boots as he felt Jonathan's body slipping. Quickly he grabbed him and held him tighter, struggling with his own weight as he then grabbed onto the ledge. There he placed Jonathan onto the wide threshold beside him which he gratefully held onto like a koala to a Eucalyptus tree. Below after having had vacated the desert floor the little herd of insects clambered through moving like a malicious black blanket. Everyone then watched in tense silence as the insects disappeared out of view leaving a soft murmur then absolutely no sound.  
  
Trembling, Jonathan sighed in relief. "They're gone".  
  
"Yeah, thank god" Rick sighed exhaustedly. "Thank god".  
  
Slowly and cautiously, Ardeth and Rick helped everyone down to the ground where Evelyn hugged her brother and fiancee tightly, crying as she did.  
  
Kaila and Ardeth were doing the same as she hugged him tightly and cried, gabbing and talking and gesturing frantically as Ardeth held her close to him. His only true treasure that was worth more than anything in the world. "Thank allah, you are safe" he whispered, "Thank allah".  
  
Suddenly however, Rick pulled himself away from the embrace which Evelyn had given him, realizing with terror. "Where the hell is Angela?".  
  
"Rick, I'm sure she took off running with everyone else and is hiding in a temple waiting for the danger to go by" Evelyn said reassuringly. "It's alright, she'll be here soon or she's probably within a corridor waiting for us".  
  
"She isn't".  
  
Everyone glanced over uneasily at Jonathan, the bruises and paleness in his expression not helping in the serious, prophetic tone of his voice. "Angela's down in the deeper corridors, O'Connell...she went to get the artifacts....and the books".  
  
"What?!" Rick gasped.  
  
"That's not all" Jonathan said gravely "Lewis is down there too".  
  
***Descending deeper into the abysmal darkness, emerging in the amphitheater. Lewis stood across from Angela looking her up and down, his own emotions going haywire at the sight of her very revealing cutaway skirt and choli blouse. Every inch of him itched to feel her, to caress her slowly, to have her...and then ultimately...to kill her.  
  
"Angela, I don't want anyone, especially you, to get hurt...come on...let's talk" he said innocently, as he took a few cautious steps torwards her.  
  
"No Lewis, you mean you're the one who doesn't want to get hurt...and I'd have to be crazy to walk over there to you" she backed up her stance, tensing as much as a feline of any sort would tense as they were being cornered by another predator.  
  
"Sweetheart, it's okay...just come here and we'll talk things through. I'm willing not to do anything against Jonathan or anyone else for that matter, come on....you don't have to act like this. All this can be solved and we can all be happy".Lewis said as reasonably as he could, as his reptilian green eyes glittered in the torch light...silently speaking to Victor to act as he slowly stalked up behind her.  
  
Angela smiled mockingly. "Lewis, if you expect me to trust you, you're wasting your time. I honestly wouldn't trust you if you told me the ocean was blue and that there were fish living in it...or even that at night the sky has stars. It's sad, but you love to hurt people. It gives you a sick thrill. You sadistic, son of a--"  
  
The rest of her compliment was cut off as Victor grabbed her from behind, taking her completely off guard, as she struggled and squirmed in his grasp "Let go of me you moron!" she screamed angrily, with a slight hint of desperation. "Let go!"  
  
"Sorry Angela, no can do, but for being such a good sport all this time...you get a consolation prize". Victor said as he smirked, wrestling against her unrestraining form.  
  
"So do you"she hissed, before turning swiftly and viciously slashing his face leaving deep, bloody fingernail gashes.  
  
Instantly he let her go where she landed with a dull thud onto the cold, stone floor. As he nursed his cheek, he winced at the stinging sensation and his deepening rancor in that instant seemed to be bubbling over. He looked over at her and glared, consoling his pain with the thought of what was in store for her and he smiled...hers was going to be much worse.  
  
"Well, nice work. You can go now, Victor, and take the chest....and please, stand guard and don't let anyone come in. My fiancee and I will be along in a few minutes".  
  
Angela looked up at him and dragged herself as far as she could, trying to stand up and reach for her dagger, before suddenly being shoved back abruptly into her internal dungeon, watching as other victims suffered endless torture. Watching the terror of a story, as it went by: frame by frame and word by word. She waited for the worse to come and as Lewis kissed her neck, she screamed.  
  
"Lewis, let go of me! let me go! please....please stop" she cried desperately "Let me go!".  
  
"Oh come on now, Angela.....aren't you enjoying this moment...I really am" Lewis mocked her, as he pinned her to floor. "Angela, just let me do everything and I'll show that even if I haven't done this before....I'm really good at it" he kissed her softly before caressing her face. "You're just afraid you're going to like it as much as I am, that's all".  
  
"Lewis, please I beg you...don't do this. I beg you please, for the love of god, let me go...please...let me go" she sobbed and choked on her words.  
  
"Angela, come on, I've been wanting to feel what your lips would feel like against mine" he said tenderly, as he softly but ardently, kissed her. Her eyes filled with tears as she wepted resignedly. Her mind kept repeating itself over and over with a solid, determined message.  
  
She wanted to die.  
  
**Elsewhere in the underground tunnels, Victor walked, chest in his hands as he cursed Angela and the pain in his left cheek. He did his best to navigate in the corridors, only the lights of the torches being his guides.  
  
"Enjoy your night, Angela" he thought maliciously. "It's one of many that await you".  
  
As he continued to stagger with the chest, he suddenly heard a sound behind him, a walking, footsteps of some sort.  
  
"Vinnie?" he asked suddenly. No answer.  
  
"David is that you?". No answer.  
  
As he took another step foward he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, turning swiftly around, he found the desert guide standing behind him.  
  
"I'm sorry, that doesn't belong to you" Beni said.  
  
"For your information desert guide, it does, so get out of my way or help me out...if you plan on doing neither then we'll have to settle this one like men" Victor said angrily.  
  
"Yes, well, unfortunately for you....I'm not a live man....in fact I'm not a man at all. I'm a demon, you're worst possible enemy". Beni replied coldly as he pulled away his shirt, revealing rotten flesh from a putrid chest cavity and as Victor started to scream, a hand clamped over his mouth, muffling the sound.  
  
The only scream he had managed to release suddenly, caught Lewis and Angela's attention as they heard someone struggling.  
  
"Now what is that imbecile doing?" snapped Lewis, angry at the interruption. "It's not hard to carry a stupid chest".  
  
"But it is hard to have children when you have no pride to create them" Angela sneered.  
  
"What?" Lewis suddenly looked down at her, but as he turned his face was met with Angela's fist and his manhood was met with her knee which slammed hard into him, knocking him to the floor beside her in nerve wracking pain. The motion may have been a hoax, but Lewis still hadn't gotten what he had wanted, she had put up a good fight in the end.  
  
"I've always wanted to do that" she said tearfully with a playful smile, as she then ran away swiftly.  
  
Emerging into the corridor, she ran down the hall towards the screams, following them down into a chamber where she froze in horror at the sight of Victor rooted to the floor in shock. The chest laying on the opposite end of the chamber.  
  
"Victor run!" she screamed "Don't just stand there! Run!"  
  
He was frozen to the ground as Beni's attention drew to him. Then snatching up a rather large, golden sword from a nearby statue, he did what neither Angela nor Victor ever expected, he suddenly thrust it into him. The incredible force of the hit, lifting him off of the floor before Beni yanked it out swiftly, causing his victim to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap of blood that seeped out of the gape and gurgled out of his mouth ashe looked over at Angela in terror as if saying. "Get out, get out before he sees you!".  
  
Angela screamed as his life oozed slowly out of him, his body fell to the floor face first, limp and lifeless and from her point of view Beni began to regenerate more, a skin grew, forming over tendons, over the hole in his ribcage, renewing itself fully.  
  
"Oh my god....we have...a serious problem" her mind thought before suddenly realzing Victor had taken Anton's place as "sacrifice hor'dorves". Anton had been killed by Beni, there was no doubt now and her heart suddenly felt weak.  
  
"I have to get out of here" she thought, as she kneeled down and stretched her arm out, pulling the chest towards her. "Gods, please don't see me, please don't see me".  
  
"Why hello there Angela, where have you been hiding?". Beni asked evilly. "Since my powers are growing, I'm going to give them a try on you and everyone in that caravan first".  
  
He began to steadily walk towards her and even being Beni he normally wouldn't be a figure to fear, but judging by his killing methods and supernatural strength not to mention the very large, sharp, and bloodied sword that he carried, someone would be afraid pretty damn easily. "I'm sorry Angela, but you know the rules of revenge. You hit the one thing that is dearest to the person you hate...in your brother's case you're his weak link...tough luck".  
  
She stumbled back quickly, her heart racing a mile a minute as he was nearly upon her to finish her off. But he was suddenly distracted by a noise from the corridor. It was Vinnie, he had heard Victor's screaming from up above at the entrance as had come to look for him. Beni smiled sadistically to himself.  
  
"Don't move" he said, as he turned towards Angela who was almost in full cardiac arrest at the moment, before turning and walking away. In the proess he took Victor's body as he went.  
  
"If Beni has powers and he can regenerate and only regenerate by killing people....then he must have been eaten by scarabs as well, which means that....the book" she realized, an idea sprung as something showed up in the back if her memory bank. "It's worth a shot, it's risky, but I have to do it".  
  
"Beni!" she shouted.  
  
He turned around, just as he ahd gotten to the corridor where he stepped out and threw Victor's body down the hallway.  
  
"Come and get me! it's me you want! so come on!" she dared him as she stood up and raced for the far side of the chamber to the chest, where their eyes met and suddenly she knew he had guessed what was on her mind.  
  
"Imhotep". she screamed anxiously in Ancient Egyptian. "My love, your servant wishes to kill me! save me I beg you!"  
  
Though Beni couldn't understand, he froze in his steps as he saw Imhotep step through the second entrance to the chamber, princely in his dark flowing robes, the Book of the Dead in one hand as he reached a hand towards Angela. But his obsidian eyes bore into Beni fiercely, who without another thought ran out of the chamber, cursing her vehemently as he did. Angela smiled only to come to a horrible realization as she turned to face Imhotep.  
  
"Now my love, come...it is time for your rebirth" he spoke lovingly, as he looked into her confused eyes "And then you shall be mine...forever". And with that said, they disappeared into a mist of swirling sand.  
  
*~~Corridors within Hamunaptra~~* Everyone ran swiftly into the corridors, Jonathan taking the lead as he looked around for the next way to go, he had explained the entire situation about Lewis and confesssed everything Angela had told him about him, which still was not all of it.  
  
"Come on faster" he insisted, as he elbowed past Ardeth and Kaila who had gone up ahead.  
  
"Jonathan don't walk so fast" Rick warned. "You have to be careful with everything here in this goddamn city".  
  
In answer, Jonathan suddenly reared back frantically. "Oh bloody hell!". He then quickly ran back to the rear of the line as if being promised to be given something far better than the people in front of the line at a Virgin Record's store. "What are those?!"  
  
"Scarab beetles, what else?" Ardeth replied coldly. "Do not worry they are all dead and no longer pose a a danger to us......they have been dead since you last set foot in Hamunaptra".  
  
"What about all the live ones we just ran into outside?" Rick asked. "I mean, they all seemed pretty alive to me".  
  
Ardeth turned to face the trio, frustrated at the events."If any of you should happen to find some live scarabs, I am very sure that you will let me and the others know, isn't that correct, Jonathan?". He said, as he placed a hand on Jonathan's shoulder ominously as the other looked at him in shock, before he turned to walk away. "Now we shall have no more set backs, keep alert and watch out for anything that maybe along the way".  
  
Much to everyone's surprise including his own, Kaila suddenly stumbled over a mummy's abdomen, only to be caught by swiftly her father who held her hand tightly along the rest of the way. Rick however had blanched at the sight and turned away.  
  
"Rick, it can't be your sister" Evelyn assured him. "It's alright....it's not her".  
  
"I just can't believe this happening again....I can't believe this, this is too much" Rick murmured as he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Way too much".  
  
"Poor guy, looks like he didn't even get a chance to run before the blighters ate him" Jonathan said, only to notice that it wasn't bloody, it was dry and withered, gulping, he said. "I wonder if any of the others made it through".  
  
Everyone sighed and looked down at Kaila, who suddenly skipped away a few steps back and stood, eyes wide as she whimpered and pointed behind them, but they all seemed too worried about the scarabs and the dried corspe to pay attention to her ecstatic warnings as a stone piece slowly slid to one side on the wall behind Evelyn. Or even the hand that reached out, no one noticed until the hand grabbed her arm causing her to scream which in turn caused everyone else to scream and Ardeth to back away and get into fighting stance. Unfortunately, he realized much to his own embarassment that the person that the hand belonged to was frantically saying. "Calm down!....please!....calm down!".  
  
"Vinnie!" Rick and Jonathan said in shocked unison, as he stumbled out of the hole in the wall and fell to the floor.  
  
"What happened?" Jonathan asked suddenly.  
  
"Where the hell is my sister?" Rick demanded sternly.  
  
"Have you seen her?" Evelyn inquired anxiously.  
  
"Whose the dead guy over there?" Jonathan then asked inquisitively, as he pointed to the corspe.  
  
"Where's Angela, damnit?!! tell me now!" Rick demanded furiously, as he suddenly grabbed a shocked Vinnie off of the floor.  
  
"Rick, calm down! let him go!" Evelyn pleaded, Rick immediatly dropped him.  
  
She kneeled beside him as he trembled and his pulse beated rapidly.Vinnie was struck with the immense pressure of fear that he was unable to breathe normaly and he was becoming weaker by the moment. "Oh dear....I think he may be having a cardiac arrest of some sort" Evelyn said softly. "We have got to keep him calm".  
  
Everyone else nodded in agreement, even Rick who reluctantly nodded and looked away.  
  
Evelyn sighed, as she released her own tension. "Vinnie, listen to me, relax and breathe slowly. Now calm down and relax....don't worry we're not here to harm in anyway, just tell us what we want to know".  
  
Vinnie looked at her nervously, his skin pale and cold as he breathed shallowly in an odd pattern akin to suffocation, but as if something had told him to stop he finally stuttered. "Lewis was with Jonathan....came down....Angela here...desert guide...Victor screaming... the wall....ledge....couldn't shut....finally......quiet".  
  
Rick and everyone else looked down at him questioningly as they then looked at one another and shrugged, neither one knowing what to say or to make of it all.  
  
"Oh, I do believe I know what he said!" Jonathan said suddenly, as he snapped his fingers and then put all the words together in his head again.  
  
"What?" Rick asked insistently. "What did he say?"  
  
Jonathan took a seat beside Vinnie and looked up at the others, as if a divine oracle, then replied. "He said that Lewis was with me and when he knocked me out he came down here to find Angela, which he did. And then a desert guide was here too and Vinnie heard Victor screaming and when he came down to look he only saw the silhouette of a man being killed, then he ran to escape and found this hole in the wall where he couldn't really shut it, but finally did. Hiding away here he waited until everything was quiet and he heard us talking....that's pretty much it, isn't it?" he said matter- of factly.  
  
Vinnie nodded repeatedly and they both looked up at the rest of the group who was looking at them both in utter shock.  
  
"How did you know?....I didn't understand.... how did you?" was all Evelyn could say in bewilderment.  
  
"Well Evie, when you drink a lot like I use to do, that's basically everyday speech for you...a second language one might say"  
  
"We are having great setback, this man has no valuable information that we need, let us go" Ardeth said coldly, as he walked a few steps farther up ahead. "We have no time to waste".  
  
"Wait, where's my boss?" Vinnie asked frantically.  
  
"Vinnie, we have no idea, but trust me when I say that if we do find him I'm going to kill him with my bare hands and feed him to the vulture" Rick growled. "So you better goddamn pray that he's dead because I'm not planning on showing any mercy to that son of a bitch".  
  
"Rick, please....relax" Evelyn said softly, as she and Jonathan helped Vinnie to his feet, adjusting his arms around their shoulders. "This is not the time nor place to be threatening people".  
  
"Rick, I'm sorry for whatever my boss did to Angela, trust me this time when I say...that...I was the lackey who took care of the hounds" Vinnie said uneasily, as they struggled with him down the corridor. "I swear I never did anything to harm her, Lewis is--" he paused for a moment. "Lewis, well, isn't the most balanced minded person and all those things he did to her are unforgivable and malicious".  
  
Rick suddenly froze in his steps as the words sunk in. "What do you mean he tortured her? and what do you mean by unforgivable and malicious things?" Suddenly he felt as if he'd been slapped by the world's largest rubber band, twice. "In what ways did he torture my sister?".  
  
Suddenly, Vinnie's eyes grew wide. "Uh...I...I heard from the others that he'd lock her in the basement of his manor and leave her down there for days without any nourishment, Lewis has always had this strange obsession with her and when they'd get into arguements he'd always threaten her...a few times he, he would hit her...but that was rare...stuff like that basically".  
  
Rick was frozen to his spot, afraid to ask, but pushing himself to do so. "Is that all? or is there more?".  
  
"He tried countless numbers of times to kiss her or have some form or another of intimacy with her and she'd always scream at him or slap him. Lewis seems to have some odd control over people, he could mentally bend her to his will but never physically...if doesn't get what he wants, he'll beat it out of the person or psychologically get into their minds. He always preyed on Angela's weakness of having no one to turn to, again she never gave him what he wanted and to this day he hates the world for it" Vinnie sighed, feeling as if he'd released a great load that he had been carrying on him for a long time. "At Twenty four, he is one very disturbed person".  
  
Evelyn and Rick suddenly eyed one another uneasily and sighed guiltily, before Rick looked at Jonathan regretfully and said "Jonathan, I.....I'm really sorry for not giving you a chance to talk and give us the full story, I'm really sorry".  
  
"It's truly alright, O'Connell. This is still my fault. It's just not in the delinquent sort of way that you thought earlier. Now, you won't have to worry about killing me if anything happens to Angela, I'll take care of it myself".  
  
"Lewis is going to regret the day he met my sister, he better be dead" Rick said, as he looked down the corridor darkly.  
  
"Yes, he better I'll personally help you kill him.That bloody moron is going pay for everything he did to Angela.....now all we have to do is find him". The thought was easier said than done, as Jonathan then curiously said. "But I say ol'chap, where can he be?".  
  
*~~Deeper chambers of Hamunaptra~~* Laying in the dark, a darkness deeper than any black hole swirling out in the middle of the dark and mysterious universe of ours, as silent as any uninhabited planet, and as deadly as any gaseous substance emanating from its core. A figure sat up with straining effort, clothes dusty with sand and powder as it groaned in pain. Aside from the pain in the lower portion of it's body, it had awaken from an unconscious state of peace...it's mind though was another story. Lewis Calabar had always been the one lone, sociopathic romeo much like Casanova but with a double twist of Jack the Ripper, who loved to play with obsession and sadism whenever he got the chances to do so. Somehow his mind had developed into something much more self revelating, now his mind had completely began to a full winner takes all game of Cat and Mouse, where everything was fair and no one complained. His secret and full fledged love affair with insanity was about to be revealed to the world and heaven help any who stepped in the way.  
  
Getting to his feet, he stumbled out of the chamber room and disappeared into the darker corridors where the rest of the snakes resided and passed on....slithering their way towards a victim who had no idea the reptile was only a strike away.  
  
*~~Further Down~~* "Silence, I think we may have found something" Ardeth Bay's voice broke the still silence, causing everyone to jump and freeze, no one daring to interrupt his command.  
  
Concentrating, he sighed in frustration as he let go of Kaila's hand, who then immediately took hold of Rick's.  
  
"Listen, do you hear that sound? do you feel that vibration all around us?" Ardeth looked around suspiciously, looking for the source of the mystery noise. "Do you hear it? it's everywhere and it's growing louder".  
  
"We don't hear anything" Rick replied questioningly. "What are we suppose to hear aside from the silence?".  
  
Evelyn suddenly gasped and stumbled forward causing Jonathan to quickly hold on tighter to Vinnie, before both fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.  
  
"Oh dear....my head, it's buzzing...oh my god". Evelyn groaned agonizingly, as she put her hands on her head and clutched it in pain.  
  
"Evelyn, what is it? what's wrong?" Rick asked anxiously.  
  
"You don't hear anything?" Evelyn gasped, her eyes tearing up from the torturous noise.  
  
"No, all I see is you and Ardeth complaining about their being some kind of sound and something in the air"  
  
"Rick, stop!!" Evelyn screamed, as she desperately reached out to him.  
  
"What? what is it?" Rick asked, as he unknowingly began to walk towards the sound as he spoke to her.  
  
Somehow the noise was a magnet of some sort that pulled at every inch of the body to follow it, like a rope would lure a child if it had a bag full of sweet treats and the promise of more if he or she followed it straight to the end.  
  
Jonathan suddenly put Vinnie against the wall and stoof up, clutching his head as well."What is that bloody god awful noise? I can't stand it!" he suddenly struggled to retain his mental balance as he felt himself being sucked into a mental vaccum. "It's attacking my nerves....I can't control it, it's so strong, god, make it stop!"  
  
The chanting was suddenly becoming quite apparent to everyone as it subtlely seeped into their minds, as if a chemical seeping into a city's water system where it has nothing but a pure, clean substance. A substance, not at all ready to take the poison that was about to contaminate it and take full charge of all if it wasn't stopped on time. It fused itself to every neuron in the brain and nervous system and swirled it around vigorously in an endless whirlpool of forbidden hymns and incantations that weighed themselves upon one's soul. A set of incantaions that was destined and quite willing to pull the soul down to the abyss of the damned.  
  
Evelyn blinked and took deep breaths of air, as she shook her head frantically, "The chant is an incantation on bringing back a soul from the land of the dead, something to remember the past and forget the present....ugh....why doesn't that blasted feeling go away?!"  
  
Jonathan fell to the floor. "Not only...that...it's ordering the first soul...to leave to the Fields of Peace" he groaned in pain, as his head hummed."We have to....get to....Angela".  
  
"Kaila!" Ardeth shouted fearfully, as he watched his daughter running to the sound like a baby chipmunk, seeking acorns for its winter food supply. "Stop!!"  
  
Rick ran up ahead swiftly and grabbed the little girl who only whined as he brought her back to her father, who embraced her tightly, rebuking her as he did but nonetheless holding her tightly. Much to his own surprise, Ardeth suddenly realized that he had forgotten all about being the fearless, indifferent Med Jai and he had for an instant become much like the trio behind him who couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight before them.  
  
"Welcome to the real world" Rick said reassuringly. "Glad to have you along for the ride".  
  
Ardeth nodded slightly and stood up, holding tightly to Kaila's hand, it suddenly hit him however that the sound wasn't as penetrating any longer. "The sound....it-".  
  
"It stopped right about the time you shouted" Rick acknowledged. "Thanks, we owe you a big one".  
  
"We must get to Angela before Imhotep completes the spell and orders the final consummation of the world. The chanting is an obvious sign that your sister is very much alive"  
  
Rick smiled slightly, only to have Ardeth solemnly say. "But if we do not hurry she won't be for long unless we somehow, by other means, get an object of the salvation. We're going to have to somehow try and find the object, which is somewhere down there in the sacrificial chambers".  
  
"And what about Angela?" Jonathan asked worryingly.  
  
"We cannot help her immediately, doing so would ensure all of our deaths if we even alert the creature in the slightest way. We must get an object of the Salvation, before we take action, do you all understand?"  
  
Everyone nodded, even Vinnie who was just able to get to his feet steadily.  
  
"So who's going to do what?" Jonathan then asked.  
  
"O'Connell and I will try and retrieve the object, which is somewhere in the channels and Evelyn here will be with us so she can read the inscription if necessary and as soon as we have it" Ardeth instructed sternly.  
  
"And what about me? I just can't stand around and watch"  
  
"You Jonathan, you will keep Vinnie with you and keep watch out for Imhotep...so you can warn us if he becomes aware of our presence and if it goes to a certain point, you two then must distract him somehow".  
  
Vinnie and Jonathan looked at one another and gulped nervously as they assumed that both were good for nothing else. The absolute worse was that neither of them could find a good, logical excuse to deny that assumption made by the warrior.  
  
"We'll work together alright?" Jonathan tried to calmly addressVinnie, who only nodded and swallowed hard. "Don't worry, if we do die then at least we died trying to save someone, agreed?".  
  
Vinnie smiled weakly. "Right, I agree".  
  
"Come now, it is time to face him once more" Ardeth commanded. "Let us hope that this works".  
  
In the cycle of life and death, everything comes and everything goes. In the cycle of magic, everything comes and everything stays, it is not everchanging as life and nature often are, it doesn't swirl and then dissipate. Instead, it swirls in an endless whirlwind of souls, each desperately trying to escape the neverending spin and cycle of their torture and...their lust. Humans at times are in their own tornado, each seeking to destroy whatever comes into their path and willing to pull whomever they can along with them. To pull them in, to show them their suffering and their pain, but what should happen when the whirlwinds of the undead and the whirlwinds of the living clash? what should happen when pain crashes with anger and past crashes with present?  
  
As Rick and gang ran down a passage way, then another, and another, trying deep in their minds to figure out the right way to go. They ran to an archway, but Rick having just heard a striking, almost hypnotic sound, a sort of muffled, murmured chanting emanating from the archway, braced himself against the wall and stopped all of the others from going through.  
  
Cautiously, he peered around the archway and suddenly took in a sight so appalling that his own mind could barely grasp what his own eyes were showing him.....Down at the bottom of the staircase in the amphitheater below, Angela lay on the altar. Her eyes were closed as if she were in a deep, dark sleep and approaching her, the Book of the Dead in one hand was Imhotep.  
  
Jonathan suddenly peered out from behind Rick and gasped, his own heart wrenching at the scene. "No, Angela." he uttered, as he felt himself about to collapse onto his knees.  
  
Eyes serenely closed, Imhotep chanted, the rhythm of the spell almost erotically, sexual in it's alluring effect that it had on the senses as he caressed her body, starting from her face to her abdomen. The one thing, however, that spoiled the moment was the way in which he leaned down and kissed her softly. As he stood tall, his free hand once more caressed her features and he chanted the invocation of the return of the soul.  
  
Even as he heard Jonathan gasp, Rick's mind kept refusing to accept that his sister was laying there on the sacrificial altar, not bound, but rather serenely asleep again as if in a peaceful dream, her being locked in a far away land where she couldn't grasp what was going to occur.  
  
"Stiff upper lip, Jonathan" he said as he choked on his own words, as he then followed the trail that took down a steep way, throwing all caution aside. "One of us has to announce ourselves. We have to attract attention and I'm going to do it".  
  
"O'Connell....you can't! the plan doesn't say so!".  
  
"Forget the plan Jonathan, if we don't hurry he's going to ram a dagger thru her" Rick said heedlessly, as he realized that once again at merciless hands of that damn priest laid the life of his sister, an echoing ridicule to his lack of ability to protect the people he most cared about in his life. "This isn't happening......it isn't real".  
  
"O'Connell would you stop saying that?!" Jonathan urged anxiously. "You damn well know this is happening so do something bloody fast before the mummy realizes that we're here!".  
  
But suddenly, however, Imhotep stopped chanting the incantation and opened his abysmal, ebony eyes, looking straight into Rick's own and he then smiled malignantly. There was absolutely no doubt what that very smile was saying to Rick. He had seen it all before in the bazaar back in Cairo when Imhotep had taken Evelyn. That very smile that held all the arrogance of ages and all the sadistic, vindictive thoughts laying beneath the surface, the way it started at the eyes and ended at the lips, showing that underneath there was by far, far worse problems than any thing else imaginable.  
  
"Oh god...no" Rick thought, as he heard his very own voice crash straight into his mind with a sickening slam. "I'll be seeing you again", had that come back forcefully hard.  
  
"Bloody hell!" Jonathan suddenly shouted, "High priest, let her go! Angela! wake up! come on!".  
  
Imhotep looked up at them and glared furiously causing Jonathan to stumble back a few steps. There was no doubt whatsoever that fate had suddenly switched teams and Imhotep knew quiet well of it as well. Taking Angela's body, he picked her up and stood her delicately in front of the sacrificial altar and in motions that lengthen both the ecstasy and the pain of himself and them, he put his arms around her waist and softly kissed her neck before he withdrew himself and with arm gently slid his fingers along the curve of her hip before he whispered something and kissed her lovingly again.  
  
By that moment, Jonathan and Rick were actually holding onto one another as Ardeth, Evelyn, and Kaila looked on in frozen horror.  
  
"My god....he cannot be doing this" Evelyn murmured, as she hugged Kaila tightly. "He cannot".  
  
As if that wasn't enough, Imhotep's smirk broadened as he pulled out a lapis lazuli dagger and said scornfully. "I told you all once that death was only the beginning. And now...here before you....is where it all begins".  
  
His eyes suddenly bore into Jonathan and Rick who instinctively took a few steps back and looked around for weapons of some sort.  
  
"Do you have any sort of ideas ol' chap? we could use them right about now" Jonathan whispered, as he kept his nervous eyes on the priest. "Come on, O'Connell, think of something".  
  
"I'm thinking, just give me a sec"  
  
"May I remind you that we don't have much time to live and you need to come up with something fast!".  
  
Looking at Evelyn, Imhotep said coldly. "Tell them that I have chosen them to offer up their lives in order to ressurect Isiria. If they are both man enough, they will come tranquily and die with honor....which is little than they actually deserve. If do not accept, however, I will more than gladly drag them both here myself".  
  
"Oh dear" Evelyn gasped fearfully, as she grimaced. "Our options are limited, aren't they?".  
  
"What did he just say?" Rick asked her nervously, as he looked back to see her.  
  
"Um, well, he said that he would like you two to sacrifice your lives in order to bring back Isiria to life. He says that you will die with honor and if you don't accept that he will kill you anyway".  
  
Jonathan looked at Rick. "He doesn't give much choices, does he?"  
  
"Yeah, well, Jonathan. Mummies are never fair" Rick replied. "You should know that by now".  
  
"Okay, I know that we don't have much time but I have to tell you something now that is crucial for you to know".  
  
"Well say it fast, Jon, we don't have time for chatting".  
  
"The mummy of Isiria is here in Hamunaptra and is somewhere within these walls, but I'm not sure where exactly....but she is inside here".  
  
"So what's your point?"  
  
"He can't use Angela unless he plans on brainwashing her into forgetting who she is. He might be planning on convincing her that she's Isiria".  
  
"No" Ardeth suddenly cut in. "Imhotep would never settle for a mere substitute, he's one who always wants the original not a mere copy".  
  
"Over my dead body" Rick growled, as he took another step back, trying to find another way to move.  
  
"Sorry to say O'Connell, but I don't think Imhotep sees that as much of a threat" Jonathan hissed.  
  
"Get back, both of you just get back!" Ardeth commanded, as he swiftly pulled his scimitar out. "As soon as I get a chance to distract him, you can act". His sword suddenly seemed like the only weapon that the world had within its defense as he brandished it more for the utter challenge of a motion than for any other thing.  
  
"Med Jai, I have no time to deal with you now" Imhotep growled. "But if you wish to be the one to perish first, so be it. Otherwise you will get out of my way and let me complete what has already begun".  
  
Ardeth didn't move from his stance and watched intently as Imhotep leaned Angela against the altar so she had a support of some kind. Much to his surprise and deep offense, the priest walked nonchalantly right passed him with an obvious, cold thought of unworthiness for his challenge.  
  
Seeing this in horror, Jonathan suddenly scurried back, tripping over himself in an effort to run backwards as he kept a steady uneasy eye on the dagger that gleamed wickedly in the torchlight, as Rick ran in the opposite direction to the side.  
  
"Are you afraid High Priest? are you afraid of what the Med Jai could do to you?" Ardeth goaded, as he sprinted and stopped in front of Imhotep again. As he did, his scimitar clashed against the dagger in a sickening screeh of metal that would be enough to drive anyone mad, if they had even considered concentrating on listening.  
  
"I do not fear you Med Jai....I do not fear anything" Imhotep said angrily, as he swiftly backhanded Ardeth Bay, the force of the hit sending him to the floor with a crash.  
  
He looked up dazedly and said "O'Connell, take Evelyn and Kaila and get the Book of the Dead on the altar!". But realizing, as he saw the opposite. "No! leave Angela! you will only get his attention! wait!....stop!"  
  
Suddenly a blinding light exploded around her, as Angela slowly opened her eyes...her name, she had heard it clearly and her head, oh how it ached like crazy as she felt her world spinning. A series of whirlpools and crashing waves of memories began pouring into her mind rapidly and looking up at the chaos in front of her with confusion, she suddenly saw Rick running swiftly for the altar where she stood. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, she felt him grab her dazed body and partially carry it with absolutely no resistance on her own part as her mind flashed on and off like a crazy light switch.  
  
With a fierce growl of pure anger, Imhotep turned around and using the dark powers that had been bestowed upon him three millenia earlier, suddenly pulled Angela's limp body abruptly away from Rick who stumbled back only to be caught himself by Imhotep's invisible grasp which took his arm and violently twisted it behind the adventurer's back until the final outcome of the nerve wrenching pain caused Rick to scream which was suddenly followed by a grotesque, sickening sound of a shoulder being brutally dislocated and another scream following that as the world before Rick's very eyes blew up in a series of explosions of sheer mind blowing pain. As Rick gasped, fighting his own mind to not faint, he could only watch for an instant as Imhotep whirled him around in an easy motion and the flash of the dagger as it was being raised and swinging down in a slow, terrifying motion. The target being his fear filled heart as his eyes grew wide with terror and his body gave up slowly in resignation.  
  
"No! Imhotep! stop!".  
  
Imhotep suddenly froze as he heard the pleading voice that halted the progress of the dagger and felt the weak hand that had been placed upon his arm by a delicate being. The being that caused him to swiftly let go of Rick, who fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.  
  
"Do not dare try to harm him" Angela said defiantly, as she stood in front of Rick. "Do not dare place another hand on him".  
  
Rick dazed and weak with the unimaginable pain, slowly looked up at the two and through his mind consumming pain he clearly realized that perhaps the screams of his had somehow pulled her out of her state of deep, mental sleep that she had been drifting in and brought her rushing back swiftly into the reality of the world that she truly belonged to.  
  
Peering drearily at Imhotep, Angela suddenly felt her head spin again and a second flash came into her mind once more. What was he doing with that dagger? Hadn't she been just standing at the gates of Thebes? yes, she had, of course. She had just been with him and had left Thebes the day after and then....Rick had screamed...and she had left...Rick was hurt....and she was gone. The swirl of remembrances was all too much as Angela started to lose her balance and her mind began to mix once again in a tide of swirling agony.  
  
"You could not have possibly emerged from the trance" Imhotep gasped in horror. "The ritual was not yet complete". He lowered the dagger in alarm as he reached out for her.  
  
However, she suddenly crashed back into reality at the sound of his voice, as a series of feelings flew into her where a touch from anyone could trigger a chaos in her blood and affect the delicate balance of her sanity.  
  
"You must get away from these people before they harm you. You must believe in me, I must complete the incantation or Isiria will--".  
  
"Curse you, Imhotep! I am not Isiria!". Angela screamed fiercely, before she suddenly slapped him twice, dealting the slaps across his face harshly. The slaps were hard enough that they echoed loudly throughout the entire chamber, turning into an angry choir of accusation. "You want me....you want me to believe in you? I would sooner believe demon from the underworld!" she scornfully cried. "You are the one who tries to switch my soul with another, you are the one who attacks the ones that I care for, and you....you ask me to believe in you?! you Imhotep, oh high priest of Osiris, you are the last person on the face of the world that I would ever believe in" she paused for moment and then glared tearfully. "Let me be!".  
  
The expression on Imhotep's face suddenly grew less arrogant, more impassive, and expressionless until the only thing that was left was a stoic image of nothing. His dark, deep eyes, holding no reflection or other feelings other than a deepening pain. It was not physical pain, but it was more the emotions that were suddenly, but gradually emerging and blooming like a blossoming confusion inside of him as he recalled Isiria screaming at him one day. //:"Trust you, Imhotep? believe in you? How can you ask me to do such a thing!":// He closed his eyes tightly at the remembrance, hearing Isiria's disappointed voice echoing inside of him. //:"When you are with another!://  
  
Angela squeezed her eyes shut as a vicious attack of pain came crashing into her head, she left him in shock as he confronted the angry reprimand that spread across her beautiful face embittering it with one question, a question that drove a deeper, sharper dagger of rancor into his already torn soul. "What have you done to me? how could you have done this? what have you done?".  
  
"Please, listen to me. Unless the incantation is completed you are in grave danger. There must be a sacrifice, the elixir must be taken, and an incantation read for you to--".  
  
"No, you will not harm my friends, do you understand? You will not hurt my brother or anyone else" she hissed angrily, as she backed up slowly into her circle of friends. Evelyn and even Kaila pulled her close, as Evelyn still tried to make her mind believe that Angela had just twice slapped and had even lectured Imhotep and actually lived to tell it all, while Jonathan in the meantime had helped Rick to his feet and were both now standing in front of them along with Ardeth Bay. While they all aimed useless but temporarily defensive weapons at the priest.  
  
"Your brother? your....your friends?". The shock to Imhotep was all too unreal, as he fought his sudden shock. "It cannot be true".  
  
He walked towards her slowly, cautious of what her reaction could be to him. Deep in his mind something told him that if he touched her again she would actually remember him and forgive him for all of the actions of the past, but she suddenly turned that thought and ripped it in two as she stepped in front of everyone and without thinking, pulled out the dagger she had found earlier and turned its glittering blade against her heart.  
  
"You take one more step forward and I will not hesitate to ram this thru myself" she said in Ancient Egyptian, as she glared tearfully at him. "Or would you like to test me out?"  
  
Jonathan suddenly stepped forward, taking everyone by surprise. "Imhotep, please do not hurt her. I beg of you do not cause her to harm herself...all of us here love her more than anything else in the world".  
  
Imhotep listened, awestruck at hearing Jonathan's Egyptian plea, watching in silence as Rick held Angela close to him with his free hand as he told himself that his little sister was okay and that she was safe and in his protection. Feeling Angela relax slightly in his hold, he then slowly pulled away the dagger from her grasp and handed it over to Jonathan, who took it and slipped it into his coat.  
  
Bipolarities, are the opposites of one another. They are repellent forces that never meet and are completely different from one another. Once again, should they crash and intermingle, chaos and extremes would be a sure thing. In this world where bipolarities are a common ground of life, one can never be sure what will repelll away from us or what we'll repel away from. In this world of chaos and contemporary findings of different laterals, one is always the one who finds themselves repelled away from our loves and our triumphs...fate and destiny decide these for us and we are their chess pawns, not fair?....well, it never is.  
  
Imhotep could hardly believe that what he had thought was a dream come true was actually the dark side-effect of it all. He had awaken a nemesis far greater than anything or anyone and he closed his eyes as he swallowed his deep emotional torture. Somehow his pride and arrogance had taken a plummeting descent into the well of oblivion with no chance of returning anytime soon. All this was a tormenting coup de grace, as he realized that she did not love him, but rather his own enemies. The darker beings of this almost literal spiritual war.  
  
Backing away, his arms were outstretched in a motion that no one could decipher exactly as a sign of peace or a sign of loss. He sighed, the worse reminder of his failure was that his hands were empty and longing to hold her against him and he then spoke resignedly, breaking the ever burdening silence between the two separate entities. "I will leave then, I would not do anything that would harm you, for the world".  
  
Reaching out, he traced the sculpture of her body and her face in the ethereal space separating them, wishing somehow that he could touch her through the ever growing chasm that expanded between them. A chasm large enough, to be precise, that spread over more than three thousand years. Imhotep's eyes suddenly glance down though, attracted by the sheen of something, jewelry, where their gaze rested upon the ring of gold and emerald that was gracing her right ring finger. The shine of it and the crystal almost seemed to once again light up his eyes with the flmaes of their usual fierce, hypnotic blaze and he smiled slightly.  
  
"But now, Angela, listen well to what I have to say...the ring that you now wear was a gift from me to you. Do you not remember that? It is a symbol of our love. I taught you how to love and cherish another and I taught you how to do so many other things and no matter how much you deny it or who you claim to love and care for you will always be Isiria, my Isiria." His eyes glittered sadistically."I lost you once, but I will not lose you again...and although you have forgetten everything else, I ask you to remember that...and remember that well".  
  
Dropping his hands, he smirked, a treachery of the darkness that evolved in the shadows of the underworld, hiding many demons and lost, forgotten souls, that were never to be released into the light of the living...nor the peaceful realm of the sacred dead.  
  
"I am after all, Angela, a very...persevering man".  
  
The words he spoke resonated threateningly in Angela's head as she turned and looked away, cradling her face into Rick's chest as Jonathan moved closer and stroked her hair softly as he looked on coldly at the priest.  
  
Having said that, Imhotep swiftly took the Book of the Dead in one hand and turned into a dissolving tempest of sand, that blasted through the thick granite wall in thunderous uproar. Once the echoes of the explosion and winds had died down and the dust had settled, the group all got to their feet and brushed themselves off. The blast itself was a final farewell, a sort of going out with a bang in the literal sense of style...but it was also a warning...a very volatile warning.  
  
Cautiously, Ardeth and Rick walked up to the gap at the top of the stairs and marveled in awe at the damage, both afraid to look through it for fear of getting their necks broken by an awaiting, invisible surprise lurking on the other side. As they looked over it darkly, Jonathan took the moment to embrace Angela tightly in his arms and caressed her back lightly as she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, hot streaming tears slowly were sliding down her face as she wept, lightly staining his shirt. Neither one cared though, their was no reason to...they both felt torn at their own actions and words were not the best solution, actions after all always did speak louder.  
  
Ardeth Bay, however, didn't have that thought in mind as he turned and looked down at both of them. His calculating, piercing eyes bore into them suspiciously. "I think both you and I need to talk...Angela".  
  
Angela parted from Jonathan's embrace and slowly turned, looking up at Ardeth with distraught eyes and she finally spoke, her voice cold and emotionless. "Where shall we begin?".  
  
  
  
Okay now for catching up on reviews: Fan of the Mummy : Okay I'm back!!!!! FINALLY!!!!! This is Chapter 19 on some sites but here it is seen as chapter 7! I hope you like!!!! I'm back I'm finallly alive!!! ^_^ Thanks for insisting so much to me!!! Angel Ruse: Thanks for the review! I'm really glad you like my fic! please I hope you come back!! 


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